Adapting to High Stakes Poker
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 4:09 PMThere comes a day in many poker player's career, that the player will gradually progress and move onto high stakes poker tables. When playing live cash games in any brick and mortar casino poker room, the standard NL hold'em blind levels usually start at $1/$2 and increase from there to $2/$5, $5/$10 and so on. Once poker players have a adapted or possibly even "mastered" the smaller blind level tables, there may come a day when a poker player will graduate to the very exciting high stakes poker limit tables, including the $100/$200 blind tables.
At these levels ($100/$200), players should know that your opponents are now very serious quality players and what you got away with in smaller blind tables, may not apply here anymore, although some poker strategies will now work better for you with pro quality players, than they would have with amateur poker players.Let's look at one example. When playing on smaller blind tables (ie: $1/$2), you have to be careful when attempting a mild bluff, as junior or more amateur players are more likely to call you with weaker cards, or straight & flush draws. So at smaller stakes tables, you're bluff attempts may be a little more dangerous than at the high stakes poker tables with serious players. The fact here is that, better players are less likely to be tempted to chase their straight or flush draws, knowing you have a good hand and/or have them beat. Good players will know when to lay down their hand and walk away with "less damage" on the felt, than amateur players will ...and solid players are less likely to take a coin toss and risk losing their chip stacks.
Here is one scenario that you may find will work best, at a higher stakes table. (comparing the two: $1/$2 smaller stake table, to a $100/$200 table: Comparing a more amateur call, versus a solid player call)
Let's look at a same hand scenario.
$1/$2 Table: (two handed pot)
Amateur player is dealt:
You are dealt:
$100/$200 Table: (two handed pot)
Opponent is dealt:
You are dealt:
The flop comes:
On the $1/$2 table, the player bets to $5 with 8h 9c, all players fold and from the big blind you call with 4d 5h. The flop comes 6c 10d Kd. Your opponent now has a gunshot straight draw with 6,*,8,9,10. Your hole cards is showing 5 high, with a 2 runner possible flush draw (unlikely to hit). Your opponent puts in a continuation bet of $5.
As you are last to play (in position) and wanting to play off a (BLUFF) flush draw of d's or a pair of K's, you raise to $10. In most situations, a good player seeing you re-raise the $5 bet by your opponent to $10, would see this as a signal of strength and would most likely put you now on that flush draw (with D's), or top pair of K's ...but an amateur (in many cases) will find it too tempting to not go after their straight draw and call you, putting you now in a very tight and dangerous situation with a 5 high and next to no draw. The turn comes 2s, no good to anyone. Player bets $5 into the pot and now you have to fold or continue betting $5 to see the river. Regardless here, you are most likely going to lose the hand and opt to fold. Knowing thatthe player may be holding any small pair, or could have paired the 6 or 10 on the flop. So even if your 4 or 5 pair the board, you lose. You opt to fold and lose $15.
Now let's look at the same scenario, with a more likely outcome from a solid player / opponent.
On the $100/200 table, the player bets $400 with 8h 9c, all players fold and from the big blind you call with 4d 5h. The flop comes 6c 10d Kd. Your opponent now has a gunshot straight draw with 6,*,8,9,10. Your hole cards is showing 5 high, with a 2 runner possible flush draw (unlikely to hit). Your opponent puts in a continuation bet of $500. As you are last to play (in position) and wanting to play off a (BLUFF) flush draw of d's or a pair of K's, you raise to $1,000.
As explained above in the last scenario, a good player seeing you re-raise the $500 bet by your opponent to $1,000, would see this as a signal of strength and would most likely put you now on that flush draw (with D's), or top pair of K's with a smaller kicker. The solid player is now faced with adding $500 into a gunshot straight draw and knowing that you may be going on a flush draw with two cards to come, or with a pair of K's on the board. The player will most likely elect to fold in this situation, opting to not chase their straight draw and then becoming pot committed. Player folds, you earn $1,000 clear. The amateur (as show above) would most likely call you on the same hand situation in $1/$2 NL game ...but in a high stakes $100/$200 NL table, the player is not likely to call you and therefore you should start to realize that moves in smaller blind tables will be played differently when playing at a higher stakes poker table.
This scenario was meant to show you what you can do in a high stakes poker game, you "may" not be able to do at a smaller stakes game. Therefore, different strategies should apply from going from a small stakes game to a high stakes poker game ...and vice versa from a high stakes game, re-adjusting to a smaller stakes game.