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While the most famous poker wins are usually associated with high stakes, low ones (the so-called micro-stakes) remain popular among a large number of amateurs. In all poker rooms, you can often find active tables of micro-stake cash games, or even tournaments with a $0.01 buy-in. Technically, such games are not freerolls in any sense, but they are among the easiest in terms of competition. This gives players with a very modest bankroll ($10-25) a chance to double their money or even turn the initial deposit into several hundred dollars. In this article, we will look at the features of poker’s rock bottom, as well as strategies for beating micro-stakes.
The Essence of Micro-Stakes Poker
The most amount of micro-stakes action you can find in No-Limit Texas Hold’em games. Micro-stakes range from $0.02/$0.05 to $0.10/$0.25, and there is usually a large selection of tables. The skill level of players at these stakes varies from amateurs who play for fun and do not plan to improve, to players with basic strategic skills.
The truth is that those who are really trying to improve their skills and learn poker move up from these stakes quite quickly. As a result, the micro-stakes player pool consists of two main groups: weak players and weak players with a little bit of experience and some basic strategy knowledge. However, you should not worry too much about the skill of your opponents if you are willing to learn.
It is important to be able to distinguish between those poker players who play for fun, and those who are trying to win and use certain strategies. Today, poker has reached a level where many players are constantly improving their approaches. However, at micro-stakes, most people still play without clear strategy and the desire to develop their skills. What does this mean? This is a great opportunity for you to start your career in cash games and earn your first money.
The basic strategy at micro-stakes comes down to maximizing the value of strong hands. This, in essence, means you should not play weak hands or try to bluff. Success at micro-stakes in poker relies on a disciplined approach to choosing starting hands. Another important point is that at such stakes it is not necessary to adhere to GTO (Game Theory Optimum) provided by poker solvers.
Why is GTO not suitable for the cheapest games? The answer is simple: at these limits, you win more if you bluff less and exploit the weakness of your opponents by making large bets to extract value both before and after the flop. Most players at micro-stakes do not understand this and will continue to call large bets even with weak hands.
Below, we will analyze suitable strategies for winning at micro-stakes.
How to Play Preflop at Micro-Stakes
How can you get the most out of playing at micro-stakes in poker? First, let’s look at an example: at 6-max NL (No-Limit) tables, the standard opening size is 2-2.5 big blinds (BB). However, at micro-stakes, players don’t adjust their calling ranges if you raise to 4 or even 5 BB. They will still call with marginal hands in the hopes of catching something on the flop.
So the strategy at micro-stakes is simple: wait for premium hands and punish opponents with big bets. This will increase the size of the pot and make it easier to play for stacks postflop. A universal rule for preflop bet sizing is 4-5 BB + 1 BB for each limper. And yes, there will be many such players who passively limp into the game with a wide range. If you see that someone is not folding to raises, you can raise even more, for example, 15 BB right away. For most players, this will not look crazy big, since they only think in terms of money, and not big blinds.
Hand Selection at Micro-Stakes
Now it is time to move on to the hands that are worth playing at the micro-stakes, because this is the basis of our strategy. As mentioned earlier in the article, using big raise sizes increases the pot and reduces the stack-to-pot ratio (SPR). In Hold’em, hands like overpairs or top pairs with a good kicker are usually strong. When the stack gets shallower after big pre-flop raises, these hands play even better and become excellent candidates to play for stacks. So when choosing starting hands, give preference to those that often make strong pairs. But there are a lot of different hands you can play profitably!
Premium Hands
Premium hands include big pocket pairs (JJ+), which you can play for stacks preflop in most of the cases. Hands like AK, AQ, AJ, KQs, KJs, and QJs often make strong top pairs and should be played more aggressively.
If you miss the flop, it makes sense to put a c-bet, but don’t bet turns and rivers often. As mentioned earlier, most players at these stakes don’t like to fold.
Small Pocket Pairs
Small pocket pairs are tricky to play. If you hit a set, you should mostly try to get all the money in, but the odds of hitting a set on the flop are only about 1/8.
The best micro-stakes strategy for small pairs like 22-66 is to keep the pot small preflop and try to hit a set. If you miss a set, you can fold without investing much.
A few more tips for playing at the micros:
- How to play with limpers. If there are limpers in front of you, you can limp behind with small pairs.
- How to open. If no one has entered the pot before you, it is worth raising, but not with excessively large bet sizes (unlike with premium hands).
- Stack size matters. To play small pairs profitably, your opponents should have at least 50 BB. If a tight player opens from UTG with 30 BB, it is better to immediately fold 22-66 from the hijack or cut-off.
Suited Connectors
Smaller suited connectors, such as 65s-T9s, you should play similarly to small pocket pairs. These are quite playable hands that can make big hands and draws, however, you will also often take the pot preflop.
Playing tips:
- Do not invest much preflop. These hands mostly want to see the flop as cheaply as possible.
- Different bet sizes. In micro-stakes games, you can use a strategy where you raise big with premium hands and smaller with mediocre hands. This might seem unbalanced, but most opponents at these stakes won’t notice the difference, and it can improve your win rate. However, be extremely careful with this strategy and only use it against inexperienced players.
At higher stakes, using different raise sizes will quickly give away the strength of your hand, so don’t get too hung up on this strategy if you’re moving up in stakes.
Medium Pocket Pairs
These hands are more of a borderline case. Some ideas:
- From an early position. These are worth raising from any position if no one has entered the pot before you.
- Postflop. If you make an overpair, bet big to protect your hand. If the board comes big, you should fold a lot.
Problem Hands
Some hands are playable in certain situations, but not always:
From an early position, we only want to play premium hands.
Closer to the button we can widen our opening range.
Examples of hands from “wider” opening range:
- Suited: A9s-A2s, K9s-K6s, QTs-Q6s, JTs-J7s, T9s-T6s.
- Offsuit: ATo-A5o, KQo, KJo, KTo, QJo-Q8o, JTo, J9o, T9o.
If you are a beginner and get lost in difficult spots, it is better to stick to a tight strategy, playing premium hands aggressively. As you gain confidence in your postflop game, you can gradually add more hands to your range.
Trash Hands
Hands like T5o or J2s that do not fall into any of the above categories should be folded in any position. In micro-stakes games, most starting hands fall into this category and should not be played. If you find it boring to fold most of your hands and find yourself playing trash hands a lot, just add more tables. Poker, even at the lowest stakes, is not about bluffs. It is a game of discipline, waiting for good hands, and gradually making money from less skilled opponents or those who play too many hands.
Focusing on Value 3-Bets
At micro-stakes, it is more profitable to 3-bet only for value. Forget about the balanced 3-betting range that includes small suited aces or suited connectors that is often recommended at higher stakes. Here, you can safely 3-bet only strong premium hands: JJ+, AQo+.
As with open-raise sizing, at micro-stakes it makes sense to 3-bet larger than the standard size. Why does this work? Most opponents will still call with weaker hands, even if the 3-bet size is too large.
Don’t be afraid to “scare off” your opponents. Sometimes everyone at the table will fold and you will not get value. This is okay, just move on to the next hand. Playing at micro-stakes is all about exploiting weaker players. Your 3-bets should be aimed at extracting maximum value from strong hands without worrying about being imbalanced, which becomes important at higher stakes.
How to Get the Most out of Micro-Stakes using Auxiliary Software
To make micro-stakes games easier to play and generally avoid the hassle of moving up to higher-stakes games, there are many auxiliary services to improve your game. The most relevant ones today include HisHands, MagicSeat, and Statname. Here’s a quick rundown of what they are:
- HisHands. A handy tool for analyzing hand histories. It will help you study your opponents’ hands and identify their leaks, allowing you to tailor a winning strategy at the tables.
- Statname. A reliable site for getting data on your opponents. The available information allows you to learn key player stats and use the data to make more informed decisions at the table.
- MagicSeat. A popular script for automatically seating you at the most profitable tables with recreational players in top poker rooms. It will help you save time you spend searching for tables and focus on playing hands against weaker players.
These tools will be of great help for your poker career, significantly increasing your chances of winning not only at micro-stakes, but at higher ones too. In the end, with this software you will understand how to beat micro-stakes, develop faster as a player and earn more money. Be sure to try!
