nanolimits - a waste of time?

[bubbahotep]

I've seen people say that .01/.02, .02/.04, etc are a waste of time.

It seems to me if you can't make money there, (where players should be weaker) you shouldn't be able to make money at any higher limits (where players are generally better).

What is the popular belief on this?

If nanolimits really are a waste of time, what is the rationale for this belief?

Thanks

[AngryCola]

[ QUOTE ]
I've seen people say that .01/.02, .02/.04, etc are a waste of time.

If nanolimits really are a waste of time, what is the rationale for this belief?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think they are a waste of time from a money making standpoint. One should easily be able to throw in $200 and at least start at .25/.50. In my opinion, it just takes too long to build up the roll that way.

However, they can be useful for someone new to learning the game. If one is extremely inexperienced, a fair amount of experience at the nano limits can work out some of the questions and confusion all beginning players have.

Some people believe these limits are a waste of time because the players "don't play right". This is not a good way to think about playing against bad players.

[ QUOTE ]
It seems to me if you can't make money there, (where players should be weaker) you shouldn't be able to make money at any higher limits (where players are generally better).

What is the popular belief on this?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see why this would have to be the case.
But of course it requires more skill to be able to beat tougher games. Still, beating extremely loose games for huge winrates is a skill in of itself.

The limits don't become much harder until you reach .50/1, and even then the games are still very soft. For games above that limit, it heavily depends on the site.
For instance, on Party the 1/2 full ring games are generally tighter than the 2/4 full ring games.

The games are beatable up to very high limits. Whether you can beat them or not depends on your own natural ability and dedication to the game.

[Paul2432]

If your goal is to improve your play without losing too much money then I think the nanolimits are great, and certainly far superior to the play money tables. Some caution is advised, though, as the play at the nanolimits can be very bad. Some strategy adjustments will be needed to move up.

If you play for fun, the nanolimits are also great. Even a terrible player, or a great player who feels like playing like a maniac, will only lose a few dollars over the course of a session. Less then the cost of one beer in most bars.

Paul

[sexypanda]

I think the nano-limits are great if you're very inexperienced. I started playing about 7-8 months ago and was soo bad that I had to carry a piece of paper around with me to remind myself that a flush beat a straight. I signed up with Paradise and they gave me $2 free. I took this to the .02/.04 table and started grinding away. Now 8 months, about 6 2+2 books and 200 posts later, I'm beating the Party 2/4. I was speaking with a friend about this a while ago and he said that if I started at the .5/1 table to begin with I could have raked in a ton more, but I really believe that I would have dumped $200 to the more experienced players and probably quit playing. This way there was no risk and I slowly and comfortably worked my way up.

[LSU POKER PIMP]

not really, your not gonna make enough money to make up for the time you put in, but these limits show you how patience and playing the odds make for the best poker play. A great place for a beginner who doesnt want to gamble with a lot of money.

[richrf]

I agree with all of the comments on this thread. I found playing at nanolimits to be a great way to learn about:

1) Learning to how to quickly determine "outs"
2) Discounting outs
3) Probabilities that others have a better hand (this is especially important when evaluating odds).
4) Learning how to spot "nuts"
5) Learning opening hands
6) How to play at different positions

etc.

Different sites have different players and play changes at different levels. Play dramatically changes between limit, pot-limit, and no-limit.

There are many sites that will start you off with free deposits, including several of the Prima sites, Absolute, Party (through affiliates, but be careful about giving them your password). etc. Right now I am comfortably playing at .25/.50. I am avoiding higher levels for many reasons right now. But nano is a great place to start. There is a lot to learn about online poker and I don't assume or take anything for granting. I have chosen to take a step-by-step approach. After my first month, I am up about $300 (14+/100BB) just playing for amusement purposes.

[afk]

I started at $.05/.10 just over a year ago and spent a few months getting the bankroll for $.25/.50. I'm playing 2/4 now with a 5/10 bankroll.... it wasn't a waste of time.

[richrf]

I wanted to also add that I found the $50 Freerolls that are run a few times each day on Absolute very useful and fun - though they run long (2000 players). I play them once in a while, but after 3 hours, I wonder whether it is worth it for the $5.00 prize. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Dead]

"Anyone who beats smaller games, but fails to beat larger games, is almost certainly confused about poker concepts in general."

-David Sklansky.

We'll see how I fare in 4-5 years. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Chris Daddy Cool]

nano limits are not a waste of time if you're a new player trying to get your feet wet at poker. it gives you cheap experience to try to get better and is recommended before you sink your teeth into a higher limit game.