Because I spend so much time working with students, or making video training clips, I end up playing games at a huge variety of levels. One day it's a student who wants to work on 10/20 fixed-limit Hold Em games, and the next day I'm making a $5 SNG video for my site. I think this situation makes me uniquely qualified to talk about the quality and styles of play at different levels. For those of you who are trying to work your way up, or have your eye on a certain level once your bankroll reaches a certain number, this may be of some help. <READMORE>

For now I'll probably do this in three or four installments over the next week or so and then I'll make it into one big article. Today let's start with my old favorite, fixed-limit Hold Em.

<SPAN>Low Limits</SPAN> (from 1/2 up to 4/8)

The low limits aren't as weak as you might think, and they vary more from one site to the next than the higher levels do. Many tables at this level are actually full of part time pros, especially at the 3/6 level. These solid players aren't creative or tricky, because those traits don't pay off at these levels. Anyone who is tricky at these levels is probably a losing player. At this level people don't worry too much about mixing up their play, and neither should you, most of your opponents aren't paying a lot of attention. PokerTracker, PAHUD, and a copy of Small Stakes Hold Em should have you whipping these games pretty quickly.

To define your opponents at these levels just ask yourself these questions each time you see a showdown and remember how the hand played out. Was anyone trying to be tricky or aggressive at a bad time? Did anyone call all the way with a hopeless hand? Who was playing a weak hand out of position? Once you know an opponent is solid you can fold a fairly strong hand to a check raise on the turn. No solid player at these levels is going to bluff raise you; that's just a waste of money at these levels where most players will call a raise cold on the flop with top pair and no kicker. Once you identify how an opponent plays trust your instincts, people don't mix up their play much in these games.

A highly skilled player can make up to 4 BB/100 (that's big bets per 100 hands) with good table selection. Most solid players make 2 BB/100 in the 3/6 and 4/8 games where the competition is tougher.

<SPAN>Middle Limits</SPAN> (5/10 to 15/30)

Believe it or not the lower end of the middle limits is actually where you will usually find the tougher games. This comes from the large numbers or working pros and players who make a nice side income multi-tabling the 5/10 games. On many sites the very toughest games are the 5/10 games, though they are still very profitable for a solid player or the pros wouldn't be there. You will find more aggression, less weak calls, and much better preflop play here than you would usually see in the lower limits.

To beat these games you'll need a copy of Hold Em for Advanced Players and some practice. A lesson or two doesn't hurt either, and a membership to a training site will also increase your win rate in these games. Most of your opponents have read a book on limit Hold Em, and a significant percentage of them are using PokerTracker and PAHUD, so you'll need every advantage you can get. You may face plays like a bluff raise from a solid player, but only in a heads up pot, and usually only if they have some sort of draw or the board is scary. Truly terrible players don't last long in these shark infested waters, so learn to identify them quickly and abuse them when you can.

Even the very best players don't make more than 3 BB/100 in the 9 or 10 handed games at this level, and 4 BB/100 is the very top of the long term earnings at the short handed games. Most solid players will make about 2/3rds of those numbers.

<SPAN>Higher Limits</SPAN> (20/40 to 40/80)

The lower end of this range often has worse players than many of the players at the lower levels. The play will be very different than you are used to if you have just moved up from the 10/20 level. The players will all be aggressive, and the bad players will not usually be calling stations, they will be maniacs. The worst players at these levels will be insanely aggressive, betting and raising all the way with nothing the same way they would with the nuts. Every player will be tricky, though many will be too tricky, and finding the players who will bluff raise with nothing so that you can punish them by three betting with top pair will be much more useful to you than looking for the rare calling stations at this level.

Knowing when to induce a bluff and when to value bet on the river are valuable skills here, and a copy of King Yao's Weighing the Odds in Limit Hold Em to go with the two books I mentioned earlier will help. If you are serious about palying at these levels consistently a site membership and some lessons is a must. Many of these games are also short handed, so The Theory of Poker and some work on your short handed game may be in order as well. By far the best times to play these games is weekend nights when there are often drunks throwing away a few thousand dollars in an evening. One drunk losing a few thousand dollars to you in a 40/80 game can make your whole week.

A solid player can make 3 BB/100 in these games as long as they are careful with game selection and play well short handed. In a standard 9 or 10 handed game in the middle of the day 1.5 BB/100 is a much more achievable goal, and still very good money.

<SPAN>Highest Limits</SPAN> (50/100 and above)

Whether you are in Vegas or online, this is where the true sharks are. I don't have the bankroll to play in these games (yet!) but I have often watched them and tracked them with PokerTracker, and I can assure you that the vast majority of players at these games are solid, aggressive, and smart. Occasionally a tilted or weak player will "throw a party" giving away many thousands of dollars in a short period of time, but the loss is large enough that people only make that mistake once. Fairly strong players often seem to move up to these levels for short periods of time and leave after a good beating, never to return.

I have tracked players (Phil Ivey on Full Tilt is one of them) with long term win rates as high as 2 BB/100 over a fairly large sample in the highest online games, but those players are very rare. The vast majority of players who stick around at this level are winning .5 to .75 BB/100 over the long run. At this level you don't just need a few books and a lesson or two, you need a gift. Without a generous helping of innate talent you will be much happier making an excellent income in the 20/40 games than struggling to survive in the highest games.

Next up, a similar breakdown of no-limit cash games.

I'll see you at the final table,
Fox

This article sponsored by PokerFox.net where we turn players into winners and winners into pros. </READMORE>