Online poker is a growing industry that keeps on gaining more and more players. Poker has been around for centuries and is considered one of the more difficult games to play. There are so many easy online games out there to play that people usually choose.
Online slots, for example, are a popular choice because the player doesn’t need to do much other than enter the game and hope for the best. But poker is a lot more complex and has lots of rules that need to be learned before playing. There is also the bluffing element that puts people off as they don’t want to give themselves away.
However, poker games continue to gain popularity as more people learn how to play and are willing to rise to the challenge. Today, we’ll be looking in particular at microstakes poker. This way of playing is particularly popular with online poker players. We’ll tell you all about it as well as teaching you some tips around it that you might not be familiar with.
What is microstakes poker?
Microstakes poker is poker for people who don’t want to place big, scary bets. This might be because you’re new to poker or maybe you just don’t feel confident risking any big money yet. And that’s okay – it’s always best to be responsible with your pennies when playing any online games.
Microstakes do what they say on the tin – they are the smallest bets you can take on a poker game. Playing only games with low stakes minimises the loss risk on the players end and can mean that they have less stress put on the game they’re playing.
It also means that they can play more games if they wish to as the stakes they’re losing are of less value. But this can also be beneficial for those who are still learning to play poker but still want to play it for real online, rather than just practising with friends.
Playing microstakes can also help lift your confidence. If you’re not used to the game or are feeling nervous, winning a couple of games with a microstake can make you feel better. Feeling more confident is going to help with all aspects of the game. People can bluff better when they’re feeling confident and this could help you win another hand.
It can also help you take more risks in the game that you wouldn’t take with more money on the line. There might be a play that you want to experiment with but don’t want to risk doing it on a high stakes game. This means it could be perfect for a microstakes game. You can try it out, and if it works, you can use it in a bigger game.
Tips for microstakes poker
- Steal those blinds
When you play in microstakes poker, other players are likely to be overfolding in the blinds. They might not want to play unless they have a solid holding which means that they’re likely to give up their blind and hold off until the next hand.
But this is good news for you. You can play aggressively from the button and small blind, which can raise more hands than you would in a typical game of poker.
- How to deal with bluffcatchers
Bluffcatchers are a hand that has only a very small value on its own but it can become useful when you think that your opponent is likely to be bluffing. These are the types of hands that don’t have a great chance of improving to that one magical, winning hand. An example of these would be hands such as 2nd pairs, 3rd pairs and underpairs.
Unfortunately, these hands do not perform well against those big bets when you’re playing a microstakes game of poker. This is because these hands only have a small chance to make a strong hand, and your opponent might have a better holding than you do.
If you ever come across some aggressive play from your opponents at microstakes, it’s best to just fold. Even when playing with small bets, some things just aren’t worth the risk. It’s also a good lesson to learn when you play for bigger bets. Sometimes, you’ve got to take the lesson and fold before you make any huge errors.
- Betting tips
Even when playing microstakes, knowing when to try and catch a bluff or place the right bet can be difficult. Lots of players like to catch people in a bluff but the trick is to bluff less if your opponent has shown interest. The best thing to do is to go for value as often as possible.
That’s all we have on microstakes – now is the time to see how you fare!