Anyone with a moderate interest in poker has imagined themselves storming the final table at the World Series of Poker and stepping away from the crucible with a $12 million win under their belt.
Well, even the biggest fish in poker had to start somewhere and this is usually low-stakes poker. Why would anyone bother with low-stakes poker if they are after multi-million prize pools? There are in fact many good reasons to explore low-stakes poker, and we will cover all of them here.
Low Stakes Means No Progress? Think Again
One common bias against low-stakes poker is that it doesn’t really learn you that much about the game. When the blinds are 0.01/0.02 it almost seems like you are playing free poker, and free poker usually lacks the “meaningful” decision-making of high stakes or real money poker.
Well, although this may be true, there are other factors to take into consideration here. Low-stakes poker is actually one of the main ways to make progress. Just remember Chris Moneymaker, who played low-stakes poker games to qualify for the World Series of Poker and win the event.
This is not to say that everyone who plays low-stakes poker will replicate Moneymaker’s iconic and eye-opening win, but it goes to show that players can achieve a lot if they try their best. Low-stakes poker, although played with negligible money, is usually played by people who are very determined to make it to the top.
It doesn’t matter what version of the game you are after, whether it’s Omaha or Texas Hold’em. Low-stakes poker is designed to emulate the tension of high-stakes games and sees the majority of players do their best to win. You can play Texas Hold’em on these online poker sites and see for yourself that players are competing tooth and nail to win.
Every card and hand played in a game of low-stakes poker is played with the best of intentions and in the hopes of securing a win. This alone should be reason enough to take this form of poker more seriously.
Shaping Your Playstyles for Bigger Tables
Even though you are playing with small sums of money, every professional poker player out there will tell you that their time playing low-stakes poker shaped their play style. Although the amounts are low, you need to focus on making every hand a winner.
This is a healthy attitude that you want to have from the earliest stages of learning the game of poker if you want to win. The majority of players who will play low-stakes games against you are also similarly motivated. They do not really care about the sums that are being wagered but rather look at the game objectively.
In other words, players are learning how to play under pressure and make decisions based on the information they have about an opponent. This experience can be then used in games where the stakes are indeed higher and where you need to tread carefully.
Low-stakes games, though teach you this and more. You get to figure out how decision-making ought to work in order for you to maintain a healthy bankroll and how to behave at a real money poker event when things may not always be going your way.
By starting small, you will accumulate grit and fortitude to carry on and play at tables where the money limits are much higher.
Low Stakes Games Will Help Increase Your Poker Skills
Even though you are playing a game for fairly low stakes, you will still be increasing and improving your understanding of poker. In fact, real money – no matter what the stakes – is proven to increase and deepen player understanding of gameplay.
This is mostly owing to several reasons. First, players are keen to increase their gain – it may be small, but most online poker platforms these days allow you to enter low-stakes games and tournaments and make it to events with multi-million prize pools on the line.
In other words, there is a very strong financial incentive for players to do their absolute best when playing poker – be that low stakes or high stakes. To be able to break through and reach the big events, though, you need to play your low-stakes games flawlessly and this is only possible if you are actively trying to do better with every hand you play.
That is why low-stakes games are filled with so many people that are playing exceptionally well and putting in some honest work to get the best results out of their poker sessions. Not only that, but low-stakes poker games will help you manage risk better.
Because of the low stakes involved, you can always leave a table if you want to, which makes it much easier to manage how much risk you want to carry at any one moment. Essentially, you can leave a low-stakes game and come back when you feel that you are in better form or just leave early as you feel that you are losing too much.
Learning Core Concepts
Not least, you will learn core concepts of the game of poker by simply sticking around. For example, you will probably get familiar with gambling terms such as “sucker” and “beat the fish,” which is referred to describe some of the lower-skilled players who participate.
Although you want to learn how to play better, you also want to do it in an environment that is favorable. This means that if you are playing against many players who are better than you, you ought to try and find another table that will balance between the skill level of your opponents and your own ability to muster strong plays.
There are many things that you can learn from low-stakes poker, and this is why this form of the game is actually very helpful to people who are just getting started and are even moderately advanced with the game.
