The low stakes poker games are still very beatable. Despite what some poker commentators say, there are plenty of terrible players in the lower stakes games. Not everyone is a grinding regular who churns 40 hours a week for a small profit. Truthfully, most expert players rise up the stakes and earn their money at NL $50 and up. Fortunately for you, we’re going to share some tips on how to exploit common weaknesses in the low stakes cash games.
Isolation raises
With limping into pots a prevalent strategy for fish at low stakes, isolation raises are a must. By raising over a limper, you will take control of the pot. This exploitative poker move is frequently used by experts to get the pot heads up. By isolating the limper, you will have a better chance of winning the pot. After all, you are more likely to win against 1 than 4 or more.
Limit bluffing
A common error part-time players make is to think bad players can fold to bluffs. Sadly, bluffing isn’t as successful in the lower stakes games. Most beginners don’t hand-read well so your pot sized bet on the river isn’t going to deter them from calling if they have a hand they like the look of. Therefore, we urge players to limit their bluffs in lowest stakes games. It’s better to do smaller bluff bets when it appears your opponent was drawing. Trying to get a fish to fold top pair is futile in low stake games.
Increased turn bet sizing
A great way to exploit low stakes players is to charge them high to outdraw you. This can be accomplished by enforcing mathematical errors on the turn when you are confident your hand is best. This means doing away with probing bets that are ½ the pot or less. Instead, try to increase your turn size bets to 70% or more. By charging them more you will be giving them poorer pot odds to chase their hand. This technique works well as most players will still chase to the river, even if they are being given poor direct odds.
Solid starting hands
An oldy but goody is sticking to playing solid starting hands. Players in the low stakes games will frequently overplay hands that contain an ace or even a king. As such, you can increase your edge over them by rigidly playing the best poker hands. This may seem boring at times but your bankroll will thank you for it! By sticking to solid starting hands e.g. pocket pairs, ace ten or better, paint cards or suited connectors, you will have the mathematical edge going to the flop. Don’t be drawn into playing inferior hands just because you see a fish win with a hand like king four.
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