Best Micro-Limit to start at

busguy · #1 10-05-2004, 11:17 AM

My wife wants to start playing a little Hold-Em (tried to think of a way to not make that sound funny . . a little Poker . . . a little hold-em . . hehe).

Anyway, It's likely that she will be accompanying me on a few tournament trips this year. As such, she has decided that she would like to at least get comfortable sitting in something other than a play money game.

I'll probably get her to sign up at Paradise and start out with their Micro-level stuff. My question is which level (.05/.1, .1/.2 etc) do you begin to get away from the play money mentality (ie. everyone sees the flop, 8-9 go to the river etc) because I think that does very little in the way of teaching you anything.

My guess would be .1/.2 or .25/.50, but is really at .5/$1 ??

Thanks for any imput

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] busguy

crockett · #2 10-05-2004, 11:34 AM

My recommendation would be Poker Stars. The site as a whole is much tighter and more serious than other sites. They offer .05/.10. For the most part people play as if they are playing with real money, the majority just play poorly (too loose pre-flop, not recognizing good hands or strong draws when they have them, no sense of position whatsoever, totally clueless as what they should be raising and not raising pre-flop and endless chasing with weak hands). You will also find good opponents as well.

But on the very rare occasion will you find somone call a 3-bet cold or capping the turn when they have bottom pair or similar crazy stuff you would see when playing in "play money" games.

I progressed the same way...I started with play money games and quickly grew to hate them because I figured out in about 2 nights that you just sit and wait until you have a monster and then bet/raise w/o stopping and then win.

So I discovered this site (2+2) and decided to play for real money. I spent 10,000 hands at PS .05/.1 and have now built up my bankroll enough to be playing .5/1 with 1/2 not far off.

I think with PS .05/.1 you will incur the least amount of risk and still gain a lot of experience. Get her a pre-flop chart to place next to the computer, have her save her hand histories, review and critique them for her on Poker Tracker's playback feature and within a matter of weeks she will be ten times better. Good luck.

maryfield48 · #3 10-05-2004, 12:20 PM

This is a subjective, er, subject, I think. I started a month ago at Pokerstars .05/.10 After around 200 hands, I was winning 34BB/100 (meaningless I know), and had $6.50 in winnings.

I found it extremely dull - was unable to think of the chips as just chips, and was bored with the tiny amounts. I switched to .25/.50. Now a 20BB pot gives me satisfaction, wasting bets bothers me. It's still lower than I play for in my home game but I am playing better and enjoying it.

I know you were asking about the general texture of the players at the various levels. I don't find the .25/.50 players treat it like play money games. I didn't play at .10/.20 so can't comment on that.

busguy · #4 10-05-2004, 06:55 PM

Bump . . . please

mmbt0ne · #5 10-05-2004, 07:45 PM

I enjoyed playing at the Paradise .10/.20 tables while I was there. The players were pretty straight-forward, not too tough to beat, but 8 people weren't seeing the flop each hand.

Naykedmage · #6 10-05-2004, 08:57 PM

Paradise .1/.2 tables are well played and a good place to start. Stay away from the .02/.04 tables, consider that play money play. Occasionally the table will go on TILT but overall its pretty decent play.

Cosimo · #7 10-05-2004, 11:45 PM

Live low-limit games are super-loose. Extremely loose. Insanely loose. But usually not super-aggressive.

Anything live below 3-6 is going to kill you in rake, jackpot drop, and/or tips. However, it's still gonna be cheaper than 4-8+. So first decide what she's gonna play live.

Party 50c-$1 games are probably kosher. Loose, lots of bad players pre and post. If she wants to play lower, than it really doesn't matter.

phixxx · #8 10-05-2004, 11:51 PM

Absolute Poker has really soft loose micro limit games (lowest = .02/.04). Sign her up there.

Tuco · #9 10-06-2004, 12:31 AM

Im thinking she is a little more concerned about giving berth in the next couple days than if her aces get cracked by some genius with T9o.

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

How the hell are you two going to go away to tourneys this year. You certainly have the babysitting situation in full control. Any chance that your sitter can watch our (by then) two as well and the four of us can go? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

My wife is also making noise about starting to play. I think my job of teaching will be alot tougher than yours.

Tuco.

droolie · #10 10-06-2004, 12:32 AM

What is her current understanding of the game? She shouldn't start playing for real money unless she has played some play money games and then read a book or two on Hold 'Em. If she's not interested enough in poker to do that then give her a bag of nickles and send her to the slots.

I wouldn't recommend anything under .25/.50. Lower limits just aren't realistic enough for what you're trying to prepare her for (B&M play) The stakes are too small to get anybody to fold if they have any part of the flop and all she'll learn is bad habits.

For books have her read and re-read Lee Jones' Winng Low Limit Hold 'Em, print out a starting hand chart and start her off at Party .50/1 with a $300 bankroll. Lee Jones gets blasted in these forums but it is an excellent beginner book and will teach her how to play weak tight which should win marginally at Party.

Once she gets the hang of it get her 2+2's SSH. Once she starts applying the concepts in that book and she is able to double her bankroll take her on the road!