 The
micro limits on the
Internet generally range
from 1c/2c to 10c/20c
cash games. Due to the
small amount of money at
stake, you will find the
action is much looser
than say, at the $1/$2
levels. If you browse the
Internet, you will find
many people claiming that
the micro limits are
simply unbeatable. They
claim that all the
players rely too much on
luck, and with so many
players entering pots
trying to hit their
draws, the ‘luck’
they get is just too
overwhelming for any
decent player to be able
to beat these limits.
Let
me first state that this
concept although with a
slight truth, is far from
being correct. With so
many players calling with
bad odds for their draws
and calling huge raises
with half a hand, how can
you not beat these
levels? There are a few
key tips set out below,
be sure to familiarize
yourself with them before
stepping into your next
micro-limit game.
1] Don’t
try and ‘outplay’
your opponents
When you sit down at the
table, you can happily
think that you are the
best player at that
table. But being cocky in
the micro limits will
lead to disaster. If you
try and take pots away
from your opponent
representing that 3 of a
kind, and find that they
call you down with bottom
pair, you have got nobody
to blame but yourself.
Remember you are playing
for money and not
individual pots, only get
your money in with the
best of it.
2] Micro players love
to chase
You are expecting your
opponents in the micros
to have a low
understanding of the
game. So if you bet twice
the size of your pot and
your opponent calls, you
cant rule out that they
will have a flush or
straight draw, as they
probably will not be
familiar with pot
odds. Remember that
if your opponent has bad
odds and calls to try and
make his draw, that’s a good thing for
you, because you will be
winning more money in the
long run. Just be sure to
bet a larger amount into
the pot when against
multiple opponents to
give each of them bad
odds to call.
3] Buy in for the max,
but don’t be afraid to
lose it.
Due to the loose action
at the micros, you can be
expecting players to be
going and calling all-ins
with all sorts of made
hands and draws. If you
are buying into the table
with the maximum, you are
giving yourself the best
opportunity to make the
most money. Make sure
that when you’re all in
that you have then best
of it, that way you are
going to come out on top.
Just remember its not
often that you are a 100%
favorite to win on the
flop, so you cant win
them all. If you’ve got
the best of it, don’t
be afraid to put your
whole buy in on the line
(if you have got the
bankroll).
4] Don’t give your
opponents tips
After you take a horrific
bad beat from an equally
bad player, the first
thing you will want to do
is criticize their play
and tell them how bad it
was. But wait, it was so
bad that you should be
over the moon that they
called. If you are that
far ahead of them with
your top set and the
flop, you want them to go all in with
their gutshot straight.
After all, you wouldn’t
be complaining if you won
that particular hand.
Keep your advice to
yourself and let the
player make the same bad
play next time.
5] Bet
your good hands, fold
your bad hands
It is pretty much basic
poker strategy, but this
is what works best at the
micros. There is no need
to be tricky with your
play, if you make a good
hand bet, and if you
don’t, just fold. You
may be afraid to scare
players out of the pot,
but most of the time they
will call you with
absolutely any hand.
6] Beware of raising
From my experience at the
micro limits, players
will not often raise pre
flop unless they have a
solid hand. The game plan
for most of the players
at the table is to see as
many flops as possible,
hit a huge hand, then bet
and take as much money as
they can from it. Your
opponents won’t give a
second thought to what
you might hold; they are
only playing to the
strength of their own
hand. This is why they
call decent raises with
bottom pair on the flop,
because they’ve got a
pair. So if you see a
player raising pre flop
and on every street then
beware, they’ve
probably got something
good. Micro players are
much happier calling than
they are raising.
7] Don’t bluff
This is similar to the
first point, as bluffing is a way of trying to
outplay your opponent.
Remember that a large
number of players will be
seeing the flop, and so a
bluff of any kind is
unlikely to work. Players
will be calling with any
half decent hand, so just
put your money in when
you do make a hand, and
when you don’t, let it
go.
8] Don’t be too
concerned about your
image
If you only play premium
hands and bet with the
best of it, don’t be
too worried that the
other players are
cottoning on to your
game. Players at the
micros are far too
concerned about the way
they play opposed to the
way that you play. So
don’t feel pressured to
‘mix it up’ a little,
as your opponents
probably won’t even
notice.
| |
| Best Micro Limit Poker Rooms: |
1] |
 |
PokerStars |
Home of micro limits. Starting off at 1c/2c, with incredibly easy to beat games. |
Room Review |
| 2] |
 |
Titan |
Numerous micro limit games on offer, also starting off at 1c/2c. |
Room Review |
| 3] |
 |
32Red |
Super low stakes 9c+1c SnGs, along with great 2c/5c pot limit cash games. |
Room Review |
| |
As you can see, micro
limit poker is a slightly
different breed of poker
when compared to the
other stakes. After you
learn the fundamentals of
the game, these games
should be easy to beat if
you keep your cool. This
makes it profitable to
multi-table at least 2
tables at a time because
at such low stakes you
are going to be less
reliant on reading your
opponents plays. As long
as you play ABC poker
(nothing fancy) and learn
the tips above, you
should be on your way to
beating the micros.
NOTE: You may be
asking, ‘where is the
truth in the statement
about the players being
too lucky?’ (2nd paragraph from top).
Well, there is a concept
in poker known as
‘schooling’. This is
where if a player calls a
bet with bad odds to make
his draw, the call
becomes ‘less bad’ as
other players call the
raise.
For example, if you
bet the size of the pot
on the turn with a made
hand, and your first
opponent calls with a
flush draw, he is making
a bad play because he is
calling a 2 to 1 bet with
4 to 1 odds of making the
flush. However if 3 other
players behind him call,
this has changed the odds
from 2 to 1, into 5 to 1
making his call
profitable. This is why
you should bet more
against opponents with
draws when more than one
opponent is in the pot.
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