Every once in a while, I go to a game that is smaller than what I usually play. Sometimes I do so for the purpose of being able to play differently and try some new things out. Sometimes I do so just to kill a few hours and see how the games are outside of the fairly tight circle I play in. Generally, it’s a good experience. I can be the action player, get creative and run some bluffs I wouldn’t usually try, or take some lines that are different from my standard style of play.

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Sounds great, right? Usually it is, and most of my sessions at smaller games are breakeven or slight winners. On occasion, I can get too far out of line, combined with a little bit of bad luck, and somehow manage to turn what was meant to be a small, inconsequential session into a significant losing session that actually makes an impact on the overall balance sheet.

If I play my best, or anything close to it, I would be a consistent winner in these games. The problem is I am used to playing much larger and booking wins and losses much bigger than would be reasonable in a smaller game. More importantly, over time, my hourly rate in the smaller game has to be significantly smaller than what it is in the larger game, no matter the level of play.

The pots aren’t big enough and there isn’t enough money in play for anyone to win that much per hour in these games over time. On any given night, you might get hot and put up a decent score, but over time it has to balance out. And when you are talking about playing in a game where your win rate should be about 20% of what you are used to averaging, it can become difficult to get mentally into the game enough to play well.

The question for me is whether I can find enough value in trying new things and growing my game to make it worth playing in these games. I know for sure I don’t have the motivation and drive to grind it out, but I do feel like having a platform to do some new things and get out on the edge has value. However, that value that must be tempered with also controlling how far off the normal path you get. While there is always room for improvement, I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel.

My game tends to be cyclical and the small games have the most value for keeping me as close to the optimal point in my cycle as possible. My standard cycle of poker play tends to follow a trend where I’ll play a tight-aggressive style and, over time, slowly open up my game, taking on more variance but doing so for what I believe is a greater positive expectation in the long-run.

As I continue to open up and play a more loose-aggressive style, I know there is a breaking point where I start to see diminishing returns and, at some point, would even become a losing player. But while in the midst of the cycle, it is sometimes hard to differentiate variance from going too far.

This is where the smaller games come in. Once I have gotten to where I am playing pretty wide open,I am more likely to go to a smaller game every now and then to continue to push to the next level. A lot of times, this leads to a sound thumping and, in the moment, causes me to leave a game wondering what in the world I just did and how could I have lost so soundly in such a little game. But it lets me find that breaking point and then pull back for the next time I sit down at my regular game with more money in play.

Along with that, there is real value in being able to try out some new plays you want to make in other games, but just can’t quite pull the trigger on.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.