Are Games Easier at the Higher Limits?

I recently received an interesting e-mail from a player in the Biloxi, Mississippi, area, and it made me aware that there are many misconceptions about the play at different limits in poker. Steve L. wrote:

Hi, Jan:

I read your great columns religiously and can't get enough of them. You are like a poker goddess.

OK, Steve's e-mail didn't really start that way, but that would have been cool, eh? Anyway, he did write this:

I play mostly the low-limit games when I do venture out, and lately have been watching some higher-limit games and have seen some amazing things. The players in the higher-limit games really do respect raises, and seem to play position with a lot more finesse and aggression. I mostly play in the $3-$6 and $4-$8 range, and find that no one ever folds. I read all of the books and try all of the sophisticated plays, but none of them seem to work for me. In fact, none of them seem to work for anyone at the table. It is very rare that a hand is not called on the river. No one ever wins a pot by betting on the end … it just doesn't happen. There is always a sheriff in town! When I wander over to the $10-$20 tables to watch, I see that the players get more respect. The big blind lays hands down to raises, players check-raise on the flop and win, and they raise on the river and often take the pot uncontested. Why is it so different at the small limits? It would seem that the higher-limit games would be easier to beat. What am I missing?

What you are missing is some gamesmanship and the old adage that you shouldn't waste "refined" actions on the unrefined. How many times have you told someone what you thought was a great joke, only to be stared at as if you had three heads? Well, I have done it many times. The other person doesn't "get it," and therefore can't find the humor. If you use tricky and/or sophisticated moves on players who are just learning the game and are playing straightforward poker, your moves will go unrewarded. These players just don't play well enough to give you the respect you think you deserve. And you can't get respect at the poker table because you think you should; as is the case in life, you have to earn it. That being said, it is not true at all that the higher-limit games are easier to beat. You must employ a different strategy in your lower-limit games; you almost need to play basic, bare-bones, best-hand poker. If you can be disciplined enough to do that, you can start to add some fancy moves to your repertoire after you have earned the respect that you need!

Oftentimes I hear players lament that they are going to move up to the next limit because the players where they currently are playing play so badly that they can't beat them. Have you ever thought about how silly that is? How is it possible that someone plays so badly that you can't beat him? Perhaps you don't play as well as you think you do. That is the most likely answer. If they play badly, and you play well, how can they beat you in the long term? Time for some introspection, eh?

So, you move up to play against better players so that you can win, and then what happens? You go broke. Why? Because, most likely, you didn't play very well in the first place. How can you avoid this pitfall? Walk, don't run. Take baby steps in your progressions, and do not move up in limits until you can consistently beat the game you currently play. You need to learn basic skills before you move ahead to the next set of concepts. If you are unable to adjust your game to beat inferior players, perhaps you ought to be thinking of moving down in limits, not up. Poker is a game of patience, and starting with the best hand is the best way to beat the lower-limit games. That is it, pure and simple. Instead of protecting all of your small blinds "because it is only $2 more," think of it as 5 percent of your bankroll (in a typical $4-$8 game with a $40 buy-in). Would you play this loosely in a higher-limit game? If the answer is no, you have some major leaks that you need to fix before you can move up. And, no, the higher-limit games are not easier to beat. Class dismissed.

Please meet me at the Oasis! That's right, the next Oasis Open in Mesquite, Nevada, an hour north of Downtown Las Vegas, will take place Oct. 24-28. You are invited to e-mail me, and I will be happy to send you a flyer on the event as well as answer any of your questions. It is a fun, laid-back, nonsmoking event, and you are welcome to come up, enjoy the sun, and kick back with us!