Online Poker Press

After having several discussions with my colleagues about moving up in limits, I found that it is a common question that plagues most cash game players. When you are crushing the game, it is easy to assume that you should move up limits because you are doing so well. This can sometimes be the case, or the case may be that you lose everything you won in the higher limit and have to go down again. On the flip side, if you are losing, does that mean you have to go down in limits? I’ve found myself moving up and down several times in my career and I think that moving up in limits is all about taking shots and doing what is best for your bankroll.

Especially at lower limits it is hard to build your bankroll, so at some point you need to take a shot at the higher limits in order to build anything substantial. There have been times in my career that I’ve had winning months, and at the end of the month I’m left asking myself, “Where did all my profit go?” Quite obviously it went to bills or entertainment, leaving me with nothing to add to my bankroll or savings. This is why it is so important to play stakes that are going to give you the ability to pay your bills and add to your bankroll. However, there could be several factors holding you back like the size of your bankroll or your confidence.

Bankroll is extremely important when figuring out what game you should be playing. However, if your bankroll is suited to a 1/2 NL Hold’em game that doesn’t mean you can’t take a shot at the 2/5 NL game. Especially if you’ve been crushing the 1/2 game and have some extra profit, you should be taking a stab at the higher limits. Don’t just jump into the game blind though. Take a few moments to observe the table and find out if it is going to be a profitable game. There is nothing worse than moving up limits and finding out that it is tighter than the lower limits you just came off of. If this is the case you won’t win anything significant enough to build your bankroll. Also, if the table is too aggressive for your liking, don’t sit down because you will be too intimidated to play good poker.

Whether or not you win or lose when you take these shots, it is important that you return to the limit that you came from. Taking these shots at the higher limits is about building a bankroll for that limit and becoming comfortable with the stakes and level of play. If you stay at the higher limit and go on a bad run, you will put your bankroll in jeopardy. Your bankroll is the tool to your trade, so don’t lose it all just because you wanted to play the higher limit every day. Make sure that you are consistently taking shots and winning. When you have built up at least 10 bets from playing at the higher limit, then it might be time for you to consistently play at that limit. If you start running bad at that limit, don’t be ashamed of moving back down. When you have a bankroll suited for several different levels, it also expands your game selection. If you are a 2/5 NL player, you have the ability to play 1/3 if there is a great game going on, or you have the opportunity to take shots at 5/10 when you feel you might be able to beat the game. There is no reason you should be stuck at one limit forever, so as long as you are managing your bankroll and playing responsibly you should have no problem taking stabs are higher limits.