WHEN TO RAISE THE STAKES?
This is a question that floats around the minds of every poker player. Should I play the higher limit game? Can I win more money if I up the stakes that I play? Well let's discusss some issues on when to raise the stakes. To even consider jumping the stakes and moving to a higher limit game you HAVE to be a consistent winning player in the limits that you currently play, and that doesn't mean being on a 2 weeek rush and pumped up 500% of your initial bankroll, it means being a winning player after at least 6 months of playing. So let's say you are a consistent winner why bother jumping the stakes?
If you master the level your currently playing at and you can make a living playing the limit your playing why change a good thing? It doesn't mean your a better poker player just because you play higher limits, you may think so because all the pros you see on TV always play ridiculous high stakes games. There's just as many fish in the higher limit games as well.
The biggest mistake so many players make is they jump the stakes too high after going on a run and not factoring all the variables that come into play when jumping the stakes. Take time rite down all the variables and then decide if your ready to make the jump and is that what you really want or need.
Ask yourself why you play poker? If you play poker just to make a living then why bother jumping the stakes. If your playing poker to one day become one of the players on TV or be a high stakes poker professional then your going to have to move up the stakes but if make sure you do it right or you could end up in the gutter.
Here are some important variables to consider in whether raising the stakes.
1. The most important variable in deciding whether to move up is that Your going to need a big enough bankroll, if you don't have the proper bankroll for the size of game your playing then your setting yourself up for dissaster. i would personally reccomend having 500x the big bet in a limit game. So if your thinking about playing $15-30 limit make sure you have a bankroll of $15000. You might think are you nuts, why would I need a bankroll that big, but it really makes a difference in so many aspects, its so much better for controlling your emotions, handling bad runs. If you have atleast a bankroll of 15k, playing $15-$30 and say you buy in for 1k and even loose it all and have the coldest cards in the world your still not hurt. Heck you can have the worst run and loose 5k in one week and your still healthy. The size of your bankroll is very important in deciding what limit game to play and should not be overlooked.
2. Does the size of the pots scare you? So you've been wathching the $50-$100 limit game in the back of the cardroom and you really want to play in that game you see all the best players playing in that game and you hear the stories of so and so making $10k the other night and it gets you interested, you start thinking I make money consistently at the limit I play rite now, why not move up. Hold on a sec, one of the reasons why your so succesful at the current limits your playing is because your comftarble with the limis, the size of the bets don't scare you. There's no emotion attached to the raises you make or the tough calls your forced to make. So you need to ask yourself will I truly be comftarble playing the higher limits, the question is initially NO, no matter who you are this first little while will be uncomftarble, and the truth is it might always be uncomftarble for you and you may never become a winning poker player in the higher limits even though your a winnning playing in the lower limits. You may become comftarble with the limits fairly fast, perhaps even in your first session. But being comftarble with the limit is very important, so if you have played a week straight at a higher limit and are still uncomftarble then maybe you should give up that level.
So when it boils down to it, find out what your goals of playing poker are whether to make a living or become a famous pro or wealthy millionaire. You need to know exactly why you play and be in tune with yourself and your emotions. You also need to have a big enough bankroll for the size of game your playing. And most importantly you need to be comftarble with the limits that your playing at.
If you master the level your currently playing at and you can make a living playing the limit your playing why change a good thing? It doesn't mean your a better poker player just because you play higher limits, you may think so because all the pros you see on TV always play ridiculous high stakes games. There's just as many fish in the higher limit games as well.
The biggest mistake so many players make is they jump the stakes too high after going on a run and not factoring all the variables that come into play when jumping the stakes. Take time rite down all the variables and then decide if your ready to make the jump and is that what you really want or need.
Ask yourself why you play poker? If you play poker just to make a living then why bother jumping the stakes. If your playing poker to one day become one of the players on TV or be a high stakes poker professional then your going to have to move up the stakes but if make sure you do it right or you could end up in the gutter.
Here are some important variables to consider in whether raising the stakes.
1. The most important variable in deciding whether to move up is that Your going to need a big enough bankroll, if you don't have the proper bankroll for the size of game your playing then your setting yourself up for dissaster. i would personally reccomend having 500x the big bet in a limit game. So if your thinking about playing $15-30 limit make sure you have a bankroll of $15000. You might think are you nuts, why would I need a bankroll that big, but it really makes a difference in so many aspects, its so much better for controlling your emotions, handling bad runs. If you have atleast a bankroll of 15k, playing $15-$30 and say you buy in for 1k and even loose it all and have the coldest cards in the world your still not hurt. Heck you can have the worst run and loose 5k in one week and your still healthy. The size of your bankroll is very important in deciding what limit game to play and should not be overlooked.
2. Does the size of the pots scare you? So you've been wathching the $50-$100 limit game in the back of the cardroom and you really want to play in that game you see all the best players playing in that game and you hear the stories of so and so making $10k the other night and it gets you interested, you start thinking I make money consistently at the limit I play rite now, why not move up. Hold on a sec, one of the reasons why your so succesful at the current limits your playing is because your comftarble with the limis, the size of the bets don't scare you. There's no emotion attached to the raises you make or the tough calls your forced to make. So you need to ask yourself will I truly be comftarble playing the higher limits, the question is initially NO, no matter who you are this first little while will be uncomftarble, and the truth is it might always be uncomftarble for you and you may never become a winning poker player in the higher limits even though your a winnning playing in the lower limits. You may become comftarble with the limits fairly fast, perhaps even in your first session. But being comftarble with the limit is very important, so if you have played a week straight at a higher limit and are still uncomftarble then maybe you should give up that level.
So when it boils down to it, find out what your goals of playing poker are whether to make a living or become a famous pro or wealthy millionaire. You need to know exactly why you play and be in tune with yourself and your emotions. You also need to have a big enough bankroll for the size of game your playing. And most importantly you need to be comftarble with the limits that your playing at.
