5 Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips to Win Every Time
Anyone who has played online poker for a few years will attest to the games becoming tougher year-on-year. From high stakes to micro stakes, players are improving all of the time, thanks in part to the wealth of knowledge available to those wanting to strengthen their game.
It is important that you keep studying, plug any leaks in your game, and continually improve your skills if you want to stay profitable, even at the lowest level of buy-ins. With these online poker micro stakes tips, you may just be able to do that.
Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips: Follow Solid Bankroll Management
I cannot stress the importance of following a solid bankroll management system. Many players at the micro stakes disregard bankroll management, but it is the solid base upon which to build the rest of your poker skills.
Having a bankroll system in place is easily our number one online poker micro stakes tip, simply because having one keeps you at a level where you are profitable, prevents you from moving up stakes too quickly, gives you the freedom to play in a manner in which you are maximizing your expected value in each hand, and can help to keep the dreaded tilt monster at bay.
Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips: Try to Prevent Tilt
Going on tilt has decimated, and even claimed entirely, the bankrolls of thousands of poker players. While on tilt, players make irrational decisions that cost them money, often wiping out a week or more profit in a few short minutes.
Playing for micro stakes can be a frustrating experience, because a larger number of opponents there make frequent mistakes. We have all seen players call down bets while chasing a flush (which they hit) when they should have folded, or call a three-bet with a weak holding such as 9♠6♦ only to hit a lucky two pair to beat your overpair.
Try to be thankful for the mistakes of your opponents and don’t let the short term results cloud your judgment. One way you can do this is to take mini-breaks from the table — sometimes even five or ten minutes every hour is enough — so you can keep thinking clearly and your mindset positive.
Also, don’t be overly critical of your play or any mistakes that you make, either. Realize that everyone makes mistakes, then use some time away from the table to look at troublesome hands before putting measures into place to prevent them from happening again.
Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips: Review Your Play
Speaking of, when you have finished playing you should try to get in the habit of reviewing some of the hands you have played. A good place to start is to select the 10 biggest pots you won and lost just look over the hand histories, asking yourself as you do if you might have done anything differently in them. It is worthwhile doing this as soon as you have finished playing, so that factors such as table dynamics are fresh in your mind, but also revisit the hands once more after a break for a different perspective.
You could additionally note down other hands that gave you trouble (even while playing), such as a spot where you didn’t know what the best play would be, or a spot where you considered bluffing but didn’t. There are several tools available online that can help you with the math behind your decisions, so you can see if a bluff would have been profitable or not.
Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips: Play Fewer Tables and Select Your Seat Wisely
While playing a high volume of hands can help you improve when playing at these low stakes, sometimes it is better to choose quality over quantity, especially when you are still essentially learning the ropes. By playing fewer tables, you can concentrate on the action to a higher degree and be able to exploit any patterns or weaknesses that your opponents show.
You should also try to sit at a table that suits your style of play. Nobody wants to be seated at a six-handed table with five opponents who all play like rocks. By cutting down on the number of tables you play, you can spend a little more time picking the perfect table for you, and choose a seat more carefully to increase your chances of having position on the weaker players already seated.
Online Poker Micro Stakes Tips: Stop Thinking Irrationally
This section could come under preventing tilt, because irrational thinking often can be a trigger that causes players to go on tilt. Get it out of your head that online poker is rigged, that poker sites reward weak players to keep them in the game, that certain opponents are luckier than other, and so on. None of this is true.
Instead, spend your time concentrating on your thought process and even simply enjoying this amazing game. Doing so will make you a winner, regardless of your results at the tables.
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