Beating poker at any level is excellent – even if you are a low-limit poker player and playing low limits. But what happens if you get tired of playing small-stakes and want to play higher levels? Unfortunately, it’s not easy to move from the low to the mid-limit. As a result, some players give up on increasing limits, preferring to keep making the same profit.
This is fine. If you are looking for middle limits, you will need strategies to make it easier. Let’s now look at five approaches to make this transition smooth.
1. Be confident
Poker players are primarily focused on increasing their profits and moving up the stakes. They get anxious when it is time to raise their stakes. It’s not that easy in poker, just as it is in any other casino game. You can lose your confidence by doing the following:
- Making bigger bets.
- Competitors are more skilled.
- A bad start at higher limits.
- Failure at higher stakes in the past.
- Overthinking everything.
- Be concerned about losing a significant portion (or all) of your bankroll.
Once you have a solid bankroll and won consistently at your current level, it is time to set out on your path towards your goal. Sometimes jumping to a higher limit is the best way to get started without worrying too much. This is the most crucial factor if you’re a low-limit poker player or love to play low-limit poker.
It is important to remember that if your lower limit has been conquered, the chances are that you will be able to apply the same skills and work ethic for the mid-stakes.
It would help if you also kept in mind that players at $2 / 4 NL will not be as good as NL100 and NL200. Therefore, it would help to make reasonable leaps in limits (i.e., NL200 to $4 / $2).
2. Test Out the Mid Stakes
If you are a low-limit poker player, the best strategy is to aim between 20,000 and 50,000 hands. What if you aren’t playing at this level? No matter how small your sample, you can test the mid-stakes at any time. Two things can be done by testing higher limits:
- This allows you to compare your skills with better competitors.
- It provides you with confidence or, at the very least, experience for those times when your bankroll is high enough to allow you to move up.
Even if you have achieved success at higher levels, sound bankroll management is still essential for moving up. If you are playing NL200, we suggest you try $2 / 4 NL now and again to make it easier when the time comes to move up. Another thing to remember: Take calculated risks when testing the mid limits if your bankroll allows.
3. For In-Depth Analysis, Read Poker Books
Up until recently, poker strategy books had a bad reputation. Many books were written by retired pros who missed the strategy boom of the 2000s and early 2010. However, this is not the case right now, as there are many books by modern online and video poker pros. This will be the best option if you’re a low-limit poker player.
One of the things we love most about books is their ability to give you a deeper understanding of how top pros think. A book usually contains between 100-200 pages of poker knowledge instead of a training video that lasts 20-30 minutes.
There are many aspects to poker, such as specific stakes and strategy. Books also provide information on mental aspects. The key to finding books that are tailored to your needs is similar to training videos. This is possible by searching Amazon. This is one of the best tips on the list if you are a low-limit poker player.
4. The Most Convenient Way To Get Strategy
Poker articles can be a great way to improve your game, especially if you have trouble concentrating during Twitch streams and long training videos. Poker articles are my favorite because you can instantly access the information you need.
Google allows you to search for the topic that interests you quickly. Google will not display articles related to “mid stakes poker strategies” if you search for this keyword.
Contrast this with training videos, Twitch streams, and books where you have to wade through content/topics that you don’t care about before you find what you are looking for. The problem is that articles aren’t as detailed as books and have as many visual elements as Twitch or training videos.
5. To improve your play, get more sleep
If you want to play your best poker, this is the most critical factor. The problem is that skilled players can only get 5 hours of sleep and then think they are exceptions.
These players are successful because of their skill and experience, not because they are abnormalities that can function without sleep. People who sleep for less than 5 hours a night would do better with adequate rest.
The research recommends adults sleep at least 7 hours per night. Although this isn’t a shocking revelation, research shows that the consistent lack of sleep can increase your risk of developing the following:
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Hypertension
- Errors are increasing
- Performance impairment
Poker is no exception. You will be losing money if you make more mistakes and perform poorly. This is especially true if you are moving to higher limits. Therefore, it would be best to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. This is the best you can follow if you’re a low-limit poker player.
Conclusion
Many poker players dream about reaching at the middle limits, where they can make a living. This isn’t enough to make you a millionaire, but it will allow you to live comfortably with enough volume.
Nobody jumps into the middle-stakes poker scene to immediately dominate. Instead, these players are more complex and require a bigger bankroll to make it through the variance.
You will need to put in a lot of effort to improve your game and play low-stakes games consistently.
This means that it is impossible to get up and move from NL200 to mid-limits. We’ve seen that great people fail time and again, only to succeed in amazing feats.
You don’t have to be afraid of failure. Instead, take calculated shots at the middle limits.
This will allow you to gain experience and confidence in these stakes. Then, when your bankroll is sufficient, there will be fewer psychological barriers to overcome when you move up.