Moving Up Levels In Online Poker
Moving up levels in online poker is the goal of all players who enjoy poker and the profits that the game can bring. This article looks at what to expect as you move up levels in various forms of the game. There are two critical aspects to moving up levels in poker. Firstly, the skill levels and the number of errors made by your opponents. Secondly the effects of variance and bankroll management.
An important aspect of moving up levels we should note is that not all online poker sites are equal. This is especially the case in terms of the average skill levels of your opponents. Our reviews will help you find the most profitable poker site for your game and experience level.
Imagine a world where everyone played ‘prefect’ poker. Betting, raising and folding exactly right for their cards and opponents style. Who would win these games?
The answer is nobody (well the poker sites would take a small rake for each hand!). The reality is that your opponents will make mistakes – a lot of mistakes. This is where your profit comes from. As you move up levels in online poker opponents will make less errors, you will need to improve your game to beat them. Here is a list of common mistakes made at the various levels:
- Micro-Limits (Up to NL$5): Overplaying all high cards and Ace-rag hands, calling too many bets with weak holdings.
- Small Limits (up to NL$25): Calling too many raises in multi-way pots, inappropriate bet sizing, overplaying top-pair type hands.
- Middle Limits: (up to NL$100): Focus too much on their own cards not their opponents holdings, overly ‘tricky’ play
Moving up levels in online poker is a matter of exploiting the different errors that your opponents make. At the lowest limits this can involve simply playing solid hands from favorable position. As you move up you will need to develop some poker skills yourself. The most common errors at the mid-limits for example is to focus too much on your own cards. If you plan to beat this level then hand-reading skills to put your opponents on probable holdings become important. Second-level thinking, where you try to work out what your opponent thinks you have, can give you a huge edge in these games.
The link between the level that you play and the poker skills of your opponents is not always straight forward. There are bad players at all levels. Some players with big bankrolls take a shot at the higher level games without having the skills to profit from them. Identifying and exploiting the weaknesses of these opponents is a critical skill you must develop in order to profitably move up levels yourself.
Bankroll management and table selection go hand-in-hand with the poker skills when deciding to move up levels. If you move up without having the ‘cushion’ in your bankroll to do so, then the natural variance (chance element) of the game could easily affect you. Table selection becomes especially important when moving up levels in poker. You should take the time to select a table with the weakest possible opponents, increasing your profits by avoiding the regular or strong players at your poker site.
To summarize, moving up levels requires a mix of both card skills and discipline. As you move up opponents will make fewer errors and you will need to improve your game to beat them. Good bankroll management and selecting the right tables are also critical for profiting from your move up in levels.