Poker News

Ashley Adams

So, you’ve been crushing the $1/2 game, beating the $2/4 game and running over the $3/6 game. You wonder if you’re ready for higher stakes games. How can you know? Here are some things for you to consider before making the big step.

The first consideration is the minimum buy-in. Generally it’s ten times the small bet for the lower tier mid limit games and ten times the big bet for the higher tier mid limit games. So $5/10 requires a minimum of $50, $10/20 requires $100 and $20/40 requires $400. And that makes sense because the action tends to be more aggressive once you hit $20/40.

The second consideration is how much of a bankroll you need to play seriously at a higher level. You want enough money to test yourself - to withstand the expected vagaries of chance. You don’t want to start off with a bad run of cards or a series of bad beats, only to bust your entire bankroll and have to go down to the lower stake with your tail between your legs.

I recommend that you have at least 300-600 times the big bet before you seriously take on a higher stakes game, leaning toward the higher multiple as the stakes go up. So, roughly, that would mean a minimum bankroll of $3,000 for $5/10, $10,000 for $10/20 and $24,000 for $20/40. If you chew up half of that bankroll at the higher level I suggest you go back down to the lower level and start again. Of course these are just rules of thumb. If you’re a very conservative player you might start out with less. If you tend to be more aggressive and wild you should probably have more.

But you don’t have to wait until you’re ready for a full transition. I think it’s often best to start by taking just a stab at the higher stakes game. Look around for a time when the game seems to have some weaker than average players and then just take a seat. Plan to stay only a short time. You still want more than the minimum buy-in - but it doesn’t have to be a full bankroll. I’d recommend that you have 60 times the small bet for the games up to $10/20 and probably 100 times that amount for the $15/30 games and above. That will give you enough to withstand a short run of bad cards - enough for you to get a feel for the game before you move back down.

You’ll find that taking a stab will help you become both acclimated to the higher level - making your final transition to that level much more smooth-and help with your lower stakes game, as you become more confidant with the lower stakes players because of your experience in the higher stakes game.

Move out of the lower spread limit games like $1-3 and $1-5 as soon as possible, regardless of your ability. These games usually have a very steep rake, making them tougher to beat than the slightly higher games. Give your learning dollars to other players rather than to the casino and you’ll be better off.