Do You Know 888poker's Top 5 Tips for Moving Up in Stakes?
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Fresh off a career-best score in Las Vegas over the summer, 888poker ambassador Lucia Navarro is back in the poker strategy streets, sharing her knowledge and wisdom.
In the latest strategy video from the platform, Navarro shares some practical tips you can use to determine where you're at and if you are ready to begin playing at a higher level.
Assess Your Current Situation
Before you can move up in stakes, you should assess the stakes you currently play at. While microstakes often involve players learning the game, at low stakes tables, you'll find a mix of recreational and professional players.
The game becomes tougher at mid stakes as you'll encounter more seasoned opponents. At high stakes, you'll face the best of the best and experience massive swings.
Understanding where you are on this spectrum will help you tailor your approach and mentally prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
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Know Your Win Rate
Before progressing up the ranks, you must know your win rate at your current stake. Your win rate, measured by big blinds won per 100 hands, is a key indicator of your skill level compared to your opponents.
A high win rate suggests you might be ready to move up in stakes, but consistent performance over a large sample is crucial.
Here are some suggested win rates at each stake:
- Microstakes - 7BBs/100 hands
- Low Stakes - 4-5BBs/100 hands
- Mid Stakes - 4-5BBs/100 hands
Put In Volume
Consider the number of hands you have played at your current stake before testing yourself at the next level. Experience matters in poker.
For microstakes players with a solid win rate, 20,000 to 30,000 hands should have you ready to move up. You want to play between 75,000 and 100,000 hands at low stakes while winning before tackling mid-stakes.
When wanting to make the transition from mid to high stakes, you want to have 150,000 to 200,000 hands under your belt, again with a solid win rate.
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Bankroll Management
One of the most important factors when moving up stakes is your bankroll. Navarro suggests moving from microstakes to low stakes when you have at least 50 buy-ins for the low-stakes games. She then recommends dropping back down to microstakes should your bankroll fall below 30 buy-ins.
If you're crushing low stakes, you want to wait until you have 100 buy-ins before moving up and then going back down a level should that decrease to 50 buy-ins.
When making the switch from mid-stakes to high-stakes, Navarro advises having a bankroll of 200 buy-ins at minimum. This will allow you to keep playing your game and not be so affected by the swings.
Adapt Your Game
As you go up in stakes, tailor your strategy to the specific challenges of each level.
For microstakes, studying and learning the game is just as important as getting volume in. At the lower stakes, learning how to exploit weak players is crucial.
For mid-stakes games, you need to study optimal strategies using solvers to keep up with your competition. And if you are playing high-stakes games, congratulations! You likely have enough experience to know what you're doing.
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