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The Value of Micro-ing
February 25, 2009What in the world can a serious poker player gain from working his bankroll up from the micro-limits? If he has the expendable income, why not start at a higher limit where there’s more money to be made? Anybody can beat the micro-limits, so why should he bother playing them at all? Actually, there are many advantages of starting at the micro-limits and working your way up to higher stakes.
Every book, article, forum post, etc. that I’ve ever read has always said that to win at the micro-limits, a player should play ABC poker. You should play very straight-forward by only playing good starting hands, playing them aggressively, and rarely bluff. Bluffs are simply not effective at the micro-limit level. You will be called. Don’t get fancy because the players at this level don’t think to that level so fancy plays aren’t necessary and don’t work. So what can be gained by playing the micro-limits?
In one word, the answer is patience. Since the micro-limits are all about playing ABC poker, the player has to wait until the cards actually come before he can play a hand. The player also has to wait until the stars align before there will be another player also with a hand to play against them. How aggravating is it to get pocket aces, put in a standard raise, and everybody fold? This is a case of the stars NOT being in alignment. This is the “luck” side of poker. To be a winning player at the micro-limits, you have to have the patience to wait on a big hand. This is what makes playing at these limits so tough. It may take hours of grinding it out before you are dealt a big hand. During this time, there’s not a lot of money being made. This is a tough time to sit through if you’re not used to playing at these limits.
This is the time that builds a foundation of patience in the player. This foundation will be used throughout the player’s assent to higher stakes or tournaments. There will be times during each cash game session or each tournament that a player plays where the cards don’t come or when they do, the stars aren’t aligned so they are of little value (blinds). This experience of grinding it out at the micro-limits can help the player be patient through these times and realize that these things happen. Be patient. Eventually, the cards will come, the stars will be in alignment, and they will get value out of their big hands. Without this patience, mediocre hands start to look like premium holdings and POOF, the tournament is over or the bankroll takes a big hit. This can lead to that evil stack and bankroll eater, tilt. But that’s another post.
