You're new to poker online, and you're not sure what stakes you should play for. Should you play the free games with the play money chips first, in order to learn how the game controls work? Should you start by playing for small stakes and then move up in stakes? And if so, then how low should you go? Should you try the micro stakes games?
This page tries to answer all these questions, but no one answer will be the same for every poker player.
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For example, a few friends may all be up for some SC0.25/SC0.50 No Limit Texas Hold'em. A Sweeps Coin table named 'Naples' offers those stakes and no one is playing there at the moment. You and your friends will simply have to jump on the table and get started. There should be several six-handed and nine-handed tables at any one time.
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Starting Off with the Play Money Games
All online cardrooms have an option to play for real money or play money. These play money games are aimed to players with no bankroll at all. But if you're completely new to playing on the Internet, these play money games are the perfect way to get started.
Someone who has played poker online before might do well to skip these games, as they might encourage you to create bad habits, like calling when you should fold. When there's no money on the line, poker players tend to make all kinds of bone-headed decisions.
On the other hand, if you're a complete neophyte, you SHOULD start with these free games in order to learn the controls. It's way better to lose fake money when you accidentally push the raise icon instead of the fold icon than it is to lose real money.
It won't take long to get familiar with the controls and how they work, and as soon as you've done so, you should move up to real money games. That's because money is the whole point of poker, online or live. Without money on the line, you might as well be playing solitaire.
What Stakes Should You Play
If you're from the United States, you should start off with the lowest stakes you're comfortable with. The legal situation in the USA and the difficulty transferring money to and from Internet cardrooms creates a situation where you should literally only play with money you won't miss. If the website at which you're playing shuts down or is unable to make payouts, you won't be in a situation where you can't pay your bills.
On the other hand, if you're from a more enlightened country, you needn't limit yourself to super low stakes, although you still shouldn't gamble with money you can't afford to lose. Your bankroll should be a separate stack of money that's only used for that purpose. Gambling with the rent money is always a bad idea.
The size of your bankroll should determine what stakes you should play. You need a large enough bankroll that the vagaries of luck and statistical deviation don't bankrupt you before your long-term expectation kicks in. (Of course, if you're a losing player, you'll need an infinite bankroll to avoid going broke, but that's beyond the scope of this article.)
The most commonly agreed bankroll requirements for Texas holdem player are as follows:
If you're playing no limit, you need a large enough bankroll to accommodate 20 buy-ins.
If you're playing limit, you need a large enough bankroll to cover 300 big blinds.
If you're a sit and go specialist, you need a large enough bankroll to cover 40 buy-ins.
Suppose you have $300 in your bankroll. This means you could afford to play for the following stakes:
- You could play in no limit game with a buy-in of $15 or less.
- You could play in limit games with blinds of $0.50/$1.00.
- You could play in sit n goes with buy-ins of $7.50 or less.
Should you ever play at lower or higher stakes than those? The answer depends on your goals and your situation.
If you're losing consistently at these stakes, you should probably go down a step and play for lower stakes until you're confident you can beat the game at that level. You should be keeping detailed records of your play, as well as studying books and/or training videos in order to improve.
If you're winning consistently at these stakes, it's okay to 'take a shot' at the higher stakes, especially in terms of a tournament that's outside your normal buy-in. For example, it wouldn't be outrageous for a sit and go specialist to take a shot at a tournament with an $11 buy in if she's feeling lucky. She just needs to be prepared to go back down in stakes right away if she loses.
All online cardrooms have an option to play for real money or play money. These play money games are aimed to players with no bankroll at all. But if you're completely new to playing on the Internet, these play money games are the perfect way to get started.
Someone who has played poker online before might do well to skip these games, as they might encourage you to create bad habits, like calling when you should fold. When there's no money on the line, poker players tend to make all kinds of bone-headed decisions.
On the other hand, if you're a complete neophyte, you SHOULD start with these free games in order to learn the controls. It's way better to lose fake money when you accidentally push the raise icon instead of the fold icon than it is to lose real money.
It won't take long to get familiar with the controls and how they work, and as soon as you've done so, you should move up to real money games. That's because money is the whole point of poker, online or live. Without money on the line, you might as well be playing solitaire.
What Stakes Should You Play
If you're from the United States, you should start off with the lowest stakes you're comfortable with. The legal situation in the USA and the difficulty transferring money to and from Internet cardrooms creates a situation where you should literally only play with money you won't miss. If the website at which you're playing shuts down or is unable to make payouts, you won't be in a situation where you can't pay your bills.
On the other hand, if you're from a more enlightened country, you needn't limit yourself to super low stakes, although you still shouldn't gamble with money you can't afford to lose. Your bankroll should be a separate stack of money that's only used for that purpose. Gambling with the rent money is always a bad idea.
The size of your bankroll should determine what stakes you should play. You need a large enough bankroll that the vagaries of luck and statistical deviation don't bankrupt you before your long-term expectation kicks in. (Of course, if you're a losing player, you'll need an infinite bankroll to avoid going broke, but that's beyond the scope of this article.)
The most commonly agreed bankroll requirements for Texas holdem player are as follows:
If you're playing no limit, you need a large enough bankroll to accommodate 20 buy-ins.
If you're playing limit, you need a large enough bankroll to cover 300 big blinds.
If you're a sit and go specialist, you need a large enough bankroll to cover 40 buy-ins.
Suppose you have $300 in your bankroll. This means you could afford to play for the following stakes:
- You could play in no limit game with a buy-in of $15 or less.
- You could play in limit games with blinds of $0.50/$1.00.
- You could play in sit n goes with buy-ins of $7.50 or less.
Should you ever play at lower or higher stakes than those? The answer depends on your goals and your situation.
If you're losing consistently at these stakes, you should probably go down a step and play for lower stakes until you're confident you can beat the game at that level. You should be keeping detailed records of your play, as well as studying books and/or training videos in order to improve.
If you're winning consistently at these stakes, it's okay to 'take a shot' at the higher stakes, especially in terms of a tournament that's outside your normal buy-in. For example, it wouldn't be outrageous for a sit and go specialist to take a shot at a tournament with an $11 buy in if she's feeling lucky. She just needs to be prepared to go back down in stakes right away if she loses.
What If My Bankroll Is Really Small?
If your bankroll is less than $100, you'll really need to focus on beating those microstakes games. For example, if you only have $50, you will most likely need to stick to the $0.01/$0.02 no limit games. You might be able to handle $0.05/$0.10 or $0.10/$0.20 limit games. The biggest sit n go tournament you could afford would only have a buy-in of $1.10.
You needn't feel ashamed of playing for low stakes. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even Chris Ferguson, for grins, has played for microstakes to see how long it would take him to turn $0 into $10,000. He started by playing nothing but freeroll tournaments, then he used the winnings from those to move up.
You do need to understand that the texture of the game changes based on what stakes you're playing. The level of play and the style of play that wins in a no limit game at the $0.01/$0.02 level won't win at the $1.00/$2.00 level. You'll need to focus on continual improvement of your game.
Conclusion
Small stakes holdem online is appropriate for a lot of different kinds of players, especially those from the United States. These stakes are most appropriate for those with small bankrolls or concerns about their ability to cash out their winnings. Players need to focus on constantly improving their game as they play for higher stakes, because what wins at the microstakes tables often loses at the higher stakes tables.
Finally, purely recreational players who don't care if they win or lose can play for any stakes they like.
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Internet gaming in the U.S. has been legal and has enjoyed ever-widening popularity, since 2002.
Poker is the Grandaddy card game of chance, and United States gaming sites can be so 'game-specific' in specialty so as to be excellent for one variation on play Texas Holdem online while being weak on others. Play Texas holdem poker, a variation on the classic game, and you'll be learning one of the more unique poker variations, with not only community cards but the possibility, when you play texas hold em poker, of play ending several times prior to when it is inevitable. As betting can occur multiple times throughout the hand, it can be very lucrative, and it is quite exciting, so it is common for internet gamers to play Texas holdem poker.
According to the popular online gaming 'blog' and advice site, Hold'em, the 3 best online sites for Texas Holdem are Ignition, Bovada, and Intertops. I'll talk about the particular strengths of each site below.
Ignition…'Know when to fold Em…'
Like some other sites, Ignition will actually teach you the rules to play their options before your first hand. You can play at Ignition in real U.S. money, and they may, as they claim, have the best online gaming software of any site out there.
Ignition roots its online table card games in philosophy which perhaps best, of all sites, facilitates internet recreation of actual, physical table games. As the company expresses this philosophy on their website, 'Life is not a destination: It is a journey.'
The pride Ignition takes in its expertise and class shows through at every level, and it is a fantastic site to play Texas hold em online.
Bovada: 'Know when to walk away…'
Where some sites write out the rules of the game, (Bovada does this as well, in fairness), Bovada goes a step better by writing out a few crucial tips for how to bet. In the online text which addresses this, Bovada's rich appreciation of poker lore and milestones comes through loud and clear. Texas Hold 'em runs through Bovada's blood.
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Bovada is under the umbrella of Bodog gaming, which has been an industry leader since 2004. Because of this affiliation, online players have access to the entire player pool of the PaiWangLuo Network.
Bovada is a powerhouse, a potential poker proving grounds, and can be a thrilling place to play Texas poker. (Just be sure you can hear it when the voice in your head tells you to hold Em.)
Intertops: 'And, know when to run….'
Intertops has been around a while, and longevity in this business means you are doing things right. Intertops started in 1996. The site specializes in poker and is quite at home hosting Texas Hold Em games.
Intertops has one special feature which is especially nice: You have one account for any gaming you do at the site. This means that your funds can apply at any game you engage in there, and winnings go to one locale.
The integrity of Intertops games is steadfastly guaranteed by proprietary gaming software. The software guarantees a fair shake for all players within the limits of all possible outcomes.
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