If you’re a beginner poker player hitting the online poker scene, you need to be seeking out small stakes poker sites where you can build your skills, one level at a time, without risking too much of your hard earned cash in the process.
Small stakes poker sites aren’t too hard to find. Most will supply fairly low stakes of at least $0.05/$0.010, but that’s certainly not as low as it gets. Micro-limit stakes start at $0.01/$0.02 and $0.02/$0.04.
Another benefit of small stakes poker sites is that you don’t have to worry so much about which poker room has the softest competition. When playing these limits, you should have no trouble finding a large table with a high viewed-flop percentage.
Small Stakes Poker Sites
There are plenty of small stakes poker sites on the Internet, but we’ll give you a brief list of what we consider to be the most reputable sites around. We take a lot of aspects into consideration when choosing the best poker sites, such as longevity, integrity, reputation and player traffic.
PokerStars: PokerStars is the world’s number one online poker room, with a distinguished reputation and massive player base to match. Best of all, PokerStars is the originator of micro-limit stakes; the first to introduce $0.01/$0.02 NL poker games. It also provides $0.02/$0.04 FL tables. PokerStars is very highly recommended, and is a great room for US players.
UltimateBet: This poker room offers the smallest stakes of all, with $0.01/$0.02 available in both FL and NL poker games. If playing heads-up, the lowest stakes are $0.02/$0.04. UltimateBet has been around for a long time, upgrading to the Cereus Network in 2008, boosting the player traffic, promotions and definitely improving the software.
Full Tilt Poker: Another exceptionally well distinguished poker site, Full Tilt Poker offers very small stakes in NL and PL games, but not so low in FL games. NL and PL start at $0.01/$0.02, while the smallest FL stakes are $0.05/$0.10.
How to Win at Micro-Limit Stakes
Winning at the lowest stakes is a simple matter of patience. Most players at these levels are extremely loose, and easily beaten by those who portray a tight strategy. If you don’t have the cards to back it up, don’t bother tossing chips into the pot.
You’re not going to be able to bluff your way through a low stakes poker hand. The cost is so low, most players will stay in the hand just because if they lose, it’s not detrimental blow to their bankroll.
When you get a good hand, don’t slow play it either. Loose players are the type to play every draw hand, and eventually, they’re going to get lucky. If you slow play it, you stand to lose a lot more chips in the end. When you’ve got the best hand, bet like you mean it to drop them out. If they don’t drop out, at least you stand to rake in a much bigger pot if they don’t hit their draw.
Knowing When to Move Up
If you’re playing the smallest stakes to increase your skills, make sure you are winning consistently before you move up to the next level. If you’re breaking even, or barely better, it’s not yet time. Once you are profiting on a regular basis, only then should you move up.
When you do move up poker stakes, take it one level at a time. If you’re playing $0.01/$0.02, move up to $0.02/$0.04. Don’t jump to $0.05/$0.10 or higher. You must master every level, one at a time, or you’ll find yourself overwhelmed by the stiffer competition. Every level is a bit tougher than the last.
Heed this advice and you will find your experience at the smallest stakes poker sites to be a stepping stone towards a highly lucrative venture in online poker.
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