Texas Holdem Online Cash Games

4/2/2022by admin

So, you're interested in online poker, but you don't want to risk too much money just yet. Where's the best place to play small stakes online poker for real money?

Below is a table of what I think are the best sites for low limit online poker.

Texas Hold ’em runs through Bovada’s blood. Bovada is under the umbrella of Bodog gaming, which has been an industry leader since 2004. Because of this affiliation, online players have access to the entire. Enjoy playing engaging free poker online and cash poker games 24/7 Customer Support. Start playing for free now. No deposit required. You will find easy-to-read materials about the rules of texas holdem and other poker variants. Texas holdem cash games. No Limit Holdem Cash Strategy. Some players argue that the best Texas holdem cash game players are at the no limit tables so if you want to be the best you need to be.

Best small stakes poker rooms.

RankRoomCompetitionCashSNGMacBonusPlay
Nitrogen PokerWeak$20NL$10+50c-Play Now
Ignition PokerWeak$2NL$1+20c$1,000Play Now
SwC PokerWeak$2NL$1+20c-Play Now
Americas CardroomTricky$2NL$1+10c$1,000Play Now
888 PokerAverage$2NL$0.50+5c$400Play Now
Betsafe PokerAverage$4NL$0.10+1c€2,000Play Now

Note: The SNG column indicates the lowest stakes single-table (STT), non-turbo SNGs on offer.

How I've rated these sites.

These poker rooms have primarily been ranked based on players looking to play no limit Texas Hold'em poker online for small stakes, whether that be in cash games or tournaments (i.e. SNGs and MTTs).

Here are the 4 main factors I took in to account when ranking these sites:

  1. The lowest stakes games on offer.
  2. The number of players frequently active at these limits.
  3. How bad the players at these stakes are.
  4. The general overall quality of the poker room based on software, traffic and support.

Clearly the level of the absolute lowest stakes cash games and SNGs on offer at a poker room is one of the biggest factors. It's not much use signing up to a poker room that doesn't offer SNG games under $5, or cash games under $10NL if you have a $30 bankroll. Even if you intend on playing at slightly higher limits anyway, it's always good to have the flexibility there to move down if needs be.

I've also taken in to account the quality of the competition. The softer the competition, the more money you will win – it's as simple as that. Therefore, I've included my rating of the 'softness' of the poker sites in the table to help you make the best choice.

Lastly, player traffic and my rating of the poker room overall has been considered. I'm sure I don't need to explain why on those two counts.

Texas Holdem Online Cash Game Strategy

Summary of the smallest stakes games on offer.

Here's a quick summary of the most common limits of micro stakes games available at the majority of online poker sites.

Cash games.
  • 1c/2c (this is the absolutely lowest level available online)
  • 2c/5c
  • 5c/10c
  • 10c/25c (you can occasionally find 10c/20c games at places like the iPoker network)
  • 25c/50c
Texas Holdem Online Cash Games
SNGs.
  • $1 + 20c
  • $2 + 25c
  • $5 + 50c
  • $10 + $1

Playing micro limit online poker for the first time?

We've all played low stakes online poker; even the best players had to start somewhere. It all starts with grinding it out in the micro stakes cash games or low level tournaments, building a bankroll and moving up to higher limits when you get the chance.

There are two key things to remember:

  1. Take your time and play within your limits.
  2. Keep playing and learning.

1) Take your time and play within your limits.

Good bankroll management is essential. And no, I don't mean that in the 'flossing is essential' or 'remembering your relatives' birthdays is essential' way. I mean it as in 'not turning the gas cooker off before you go to sleep is essential' and 'not starting fights with bears is essential'.

Seriously, treat your bankroll with ultimate respect. Without it, you can't play poker and you can't win money. Don't get careless and fritter your earnings away because you're on tilt.

Here are the basic rules of bankroll management that you should always stick to:

  • Cash games - always have at least 20 buy-ins for the stakes you're playing at.
  • SNGs - always have at least 40 buy-ins (including fees) for the level you want to play at.

If Chris ferguson can do it, so can you.

2) Keep playing and learning.

The more you play and the more you learn, the better you will get. The better you get, the more money you'll win. It's the cycle that every successful poker player has taken and continues to take.

Read strategy articles, read books, watch strategy videos, join a training site.

The information on how to win money from poker is out there, it's just up to you whether or not you take advantage of it.

How the stakes of online poker are categorized.

Technically, $50NL cash games and lower are referred to as the 'micro stakes' and not 'small stakes'. Seems quite strange considering that I'd hardly call $50 (or even $10 for that matter) a micro amount of money. But that's just how it is.

I decided to go ahead and call this page a guide to the best 'small stakes sites' anyway as I know that's what most people are searching for when they use that phrase.

For the sake of education and being thorough, here's how the different levels/limits of NLHE cash games and SNGs are categorized:

CategoryCash GamesSNGs
Micro Stakes$2NL to $50NL$1 to $10
Small Stakes$100NL to $200NL$11 to $50
Mid Stakes$400NL to $1,000NL$51 to $200
High Stakes$2,000NL+$201+

Note: I've used shorthand for the cash game levels in the table above. Stakes written like $50NL indicate the standard maximum 100bb buy-in for that level. So for example, $50NL is the same as writing 25c/50c, and $400NL is the same as writing $2/$4.
This is a common way of writing the varying limits in NLHE cash games. The cool thing about this notation is that it saves you having to try and type that pesky forward slash.

You may also notice that the term 'low limit' or 'low stakes' poker hasn't been used here. That term is more commonly used when referring to playing live poker in casinos, with anything up to $3/$5 being considered low limit (crazy I know). It's just another one of those things in poker.

A few extra tips.

  • Use good bankroll management. I've told you about this before, but it's so important it's worth mentioning at least one more time.
  • Don't get too fancy against micro stakes players. You only need to think one level above a poker player to beat them, and small stakes Texas Hold'em players are thinking on a low level for the most part.
  • Avoid paying more than 10% in tournament fees. Paying 20% in fees for SNGs is just going to kill your winrate. 10% fees are standard at most levels, but in the micro levels at some rooms the fees are bumped up. Either avoid these rooms, or play at a slightly higher level where the fees are more friendly.
  • Take your time. It's not about doubling your bankroll in each session. Poker is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want quick and easy winnings, play roulette.

After that, it's all about time, effort and persistence. Just make sure you give me a shout out when you win your first WSOP main event.

Useful links.

Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.

In a Texas Holdem cash game, the chips you have in front of you are valued in real dollars, when you bet a $5 chip – that’s the equivalent of a real five bucks from your pocket. This means that decisions you make cumulatively win or lose you that money. Any player can hit some nice cards and walk away with a profit in the short-term. Over the long-run, successful players are those who understand and study poker strategy – finding weaknesses in their opponents play and betting in such a way as to take advantage of these weaknesses. This article covers the fundamentals of Texas Holdem cash game strategy, outlining the building blocks that you can use to consistently beat the games.

First up you will find information on the swings inherent in poker games and how to overcome this using bankroll management and focusing on making ‘good’ decisions. Next the fundamental concepts of position and starting hand selection are discussed. After this an overview of the need-to-know poker math – followed by some ideas for areas to explore once you have learned the basics.

Good Decisions And Variance

Poker has a large element of luck over the short-term. You can run Kings into Aces, lose those coin-flip hands and your drawing hands can miss. You could have played ‘correctly’ and still end up with a large loss.

Even the best players in the world suffer from short-term swings.

To counter this you need to make sure you only play with a small proportion of your bankroll in any one game. 1/20th (5%) is the accepted level to overcome the short-term swings. If you are able to easily reload your account then you can loosen up on this. However, if you are serious about your poker then bankroll management is an important factor.

All you can do in poker is make the best decisions possible based on the information you have available. If you do this over and over again, and manage your bankroll sensibly, then you will end up a winner.

Adjusting For Position

If 2 players of equal skill and experience sat down to play, the person who played more hands when they acted last after the flop would win in the long-run. This is known as having ‘position’ and is far more important than most new players realize.

Positional strategy includes folding speculative starting hands when first to act at the table, and playing more of these hands from the button position. You should also tend to play tighter from the blinds – even though it is ‘cheaper’ to enter the pot – since you will be first to act after the flop from these playing positions.

Starting Hand Selection in Texas Holdem Cash Games

Texas Holdem Online Cash Games

A big leak for many beginning poker players is to play far too many hands. This can include any Ace-x hand, any 2 suited cards or even worse holdings! If your opponents are being more selective, then you would need to be a fantastic post-flop player to even come close to making up for this.

Instead you should find a tight range of starting hands and adjust this based on several factors. For early table positions and after someone already raised you should fold the weakest end or your range. When first to enter the pot and in late position you can loosen up a little bit.

Using Poker Math Strategy

It is extremely difficult to beat online poker games without knowing the basic math. Most of this is easy to learn – and even the advanced areas have special tools and calculators to help you out. There are several aspects of math to learn including pot-odds and outs, implied odds, prize pool equity models and how to assess what hands people are playing and the equity that individual hands have against those ranges.

Online Poker Cash Game

Spending just a few hours learning the different aspects of poker math will have a huge effect on your profit – this will allow you to make more ‘good’ decisions and to spot those opponents who are making bad ones.

Advanced Concepts for Texas Holdem Cash Game Strategy

Texas Holdem Online Cash Games Online

Once you have understood the basics of cash game strategy, you can start to branch out into the more advanced topics. First on my list is bet-sizing, and how to adjust this for specific situations and opponent types. After that you can focus on the process of reading your opponents hands – and spotting ‘leaks’ in both your own game and that of your opponents.

Poker Sites For Us Players

Remember, poker is a game of relative skill. However good you are, there will be people who can beat you. This holds true at all levels of the game, and if you take the time to find soft games with inexperienced opponents, your profits will improve significantly.

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