Re: What is the lowest limit with sophisticated strategy?
It's a very broad question, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Certainly, you should plan on paying some dues (and gaining some valuable experience) by playing the lower limits for a while. "The lower limits" can mean whatever you want it to, but for most folks this means games up to about the 6-12 level. This is classic no-foldem holdem turf, so you will get a lot of experience folding, and your most sophisticated play will be learning to fold the second best hand (a VERY valuable skill).
How long you choose to play at a given limit depends on your bankroll and goals, but many people would recommend 2000 net profitable hours at a given limit before moving up.
5-10, 6-12, 8-16, 9-18, and 10-20 all fall into a broad category of "the upper low limits". Often, these games aren't a whole lot tougher than 3-6, although of course good players exist at every level in the casino. But you'll still see a lot of people cold calling three bets with suited crap from weak position at these limits. So while these games can be profitable, they aren't often very sophisticated.
I've been playing poker in cardrooms and casinos for about 20 years, and I've found that, in a very gross generalization, the dividing line between sophisticated and unsophisticated play seems to be around the 15-30/20-40 levels. Most (but thankfully not all) players at these levels are solid, some are even imaginitive, and you can be well rewarded for playing creatively and deceptively. Above this level, the average player tends to be much better and much more aggressive, and game selection becomes critical, especially if you are still honing your skills. But for a player looking to test his/her mettle, I think 15-30 or 20-40 is a fair test. If you can consistently beat a 15-30 game for one or more racks you are on the right track, whereas if they consistently clean your clock or you can only break even you can be sure your game has a number of leaks and needs soem work.
Anyway, that's my take on this. But really, there's no substitute for putting in a lot of seat time and getting experience.
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