Why do you play micro stakes?

Because I'm in Thailand

Because you can make more than you think.

4 bb/100 four tabling 50 NL zoom is 20 dollars an hour.

Add in 30 percent rakeback and you make another 10 dollars an hour.

That mean you are making 30 dollars an hour, at home in your underwear playing poker with no risk.

I'm not playing poker for living but I like the feeling when you facing a 3b/4b pot and using your head to give a best solution for it

99% of the hobbies out there people spend on money on to do with zero chance of making a dime back. I can play micro/low stakes online poker and make a bit money on the side as a hobby and just playing for fun/enjoyment. Micro/low stakes also has the advantage of one not having to worry about being cheated(I play on Pokerstars). It's also not as hard as some like to let on to still make a bit of side money playing micro/low stakes.

Cheers!!!

People cheat at Runescape don't underestimate them.

but yes, the risk for fun is worthwhile

I play microstakes to debug changes in my setup, e.g., trying out a new configuration for my table manager.

Also, it is fun to kick the **** out of the idiot losers who play microstakes.

Oh without a doubt they do. They're stupid, get caught daily and banned. Probably like most micro/low stakes idiots who cheat.

Micro/low stakes cheaters if they exist suck terribly though. My 15+ year old TAG+exploits(for my player pool) easily beats them if they exist. My opinion any cheater smart enough to cheat and not be caught and banned(specially from Pokerstars my main site) isn't cheating micro/low stakes not enough money in it for the smart ones. So I worry very very very little about.

It's basically why I've always stayed at micro/low stakes when I can easily afford to play higher. Also why I've stayed and played mainly at Pokerstars for 20+ years. They may suck for some things and their rewards program ain't the best but that ain't scummy trash that don't care about cheaters. And well I don't need a great rewards program to help me be a winning player. I'm winner before rake back and rewards. Rake back and rewards are just the cream on top.

Cheers!!!

I play NL50-NL100
Probably should have already played much higher IF NOT for withdrawing all profit last couple of years... ( 300k+)
Also a reason is trading. I lost money margin trading. I am an IDIOT for doing that... When buy hold strategy beats everything...
Also taxes in my country for withdrawing money...
Also the fact that I bought my own property to live with wife and kids...( yes because of poker I have a place to live and pay all my life expenses)
So basically reason to keep playing microstakes is because of bad money management, high expenses, taxes and extremely bad trading decisions
So Im a confirmed money management fish and I'm trying everyday to become better...

Build Roll on micros, lose Roll on high-stakes satellites

"i started from scratch at the lowest limits" is just a dope story ngl

I might be able to provide a different perspective here.

I am just getting back into the game post-Black Friday and looking to start playing cash games here in Colorado as a hobby. I work a full-time job where I make a great living as a software engineer and have zero aspirations of playing poker for a living. I'm currently going through a course and some study material, which I enjoy, and playing 2nl / 5nl online to work through some of the stuff I'm learning.

I genuinely could not care about pot sizes or action at the table.

For me, the entertainment value is learning about the game and trying to apply material less so than the excitement of the table. If I want to get a fix, I go mountain bike or ski in the backcountry. I play micro stakes to learn and practice what I'm taking in.

I play the micros because that's what I'm rolled for. I live in Australia and since the poker ban hadn't played for a good 7 years until recently. I'd always been a sng/mtt player but the times the mtt's run on the site I found don't suit my lifestyle and sng is no longer profitable. Im 45% itm on them but everyone else is 35%+ too and can't put on the volume.

Solution = learn ring games. Historically I've been terrible at them. Lowest stake I can find games is 20c no limit and they are fishy as all hell. Can usually play 6max with 4 50%+ vp players.

My roll is only at 380 which I consider too low for 20nl but since I can't go lower just trying to ride the swings. If I got to the point I could withdraw 500 a fortnight I'd happily play this level forever but I'll probably move upto 40nl if I'm winning consistently.

I see it more as levels I am trying to beat.
+
As a consistently losing player I could never enjoy the game.
As a winning player you will naturally move up (with good bank roll management).

I make okay money, but cheap as I am, I could never keep piling in money because bigger pots give me a bigger thrill.

Also, I think playing for the thrill, because the size of the pot is so large.
(Wich means it's def to big for your bankroll) Is not a healthy way to play and could lead to addiction.

its so you can learn and build a roll at the same time if you start out playing nl100 how can you possibly learn anything before you lose massive amounts of money

If you haven't studied poker extensively for 2024 you don't belong anywhere but Micros. (for online you're less likely to face bots, RTA, colluders) Watched a guy go from $50 to 5k from 2nl. Though he's a crusher

I think the goal is to play micros for like maybe 4 months or so and then hopefully do well enough to get to higher stakes. I don't think its intentional that we want lower money or anything like that, its just a safe place to start with lower risk and less experienced players.

One of my students I trained makes 3k-4k a month at micros and last month made over 5k grinding almost 250k hands. He was going to try to put in 300k hands but he started having bad nose bleeds with migraines and stopped or he would of made more. You just have to play a lot of volume. But it can definitely cause health issues if you over do it. Well that is including the bonus money you get from acr like the beast and rake back. If you go on a site that pays out a nice promotion for grinding you can definitely make a lot more money then you would expect.

To build roll/gain experience. Enough recreationals to win from and enough serious players to learn from

I play micro stakes for a number of different reasons:

1. I don't work so don't have the bankroll.
2. I am fairly new to poker so the small stakes allows me to take a bit more risk relative to the size of the pot.
3. I have ADHD so cannot play more than 2 tables at a time.
4. I am not looking to be wealthy by playing poker.
5. Mostly cause the players are so bad that even a guy like me, with an understanding of a good preflop range (VPIP of <20% PFR of the same, I never ever limp) has a fighting chance or at least hold my own.
6.I play in Ontario Canada where the player pool is relatively small. I have had great success at the $0.50 9 player sit and go's. Yeah it pays me $1.99 to win but I can make the money more than 50% of the time, so it's not too shabby.
7. For shits and giggles sometimes

Everyone has their own reasons, comfort levels and bankrolls. If you don't like micro and can afford bigger, good for you!

Sometimes I play it because it’s fun honestly.

Health issues from excessive grinding I think are really overlooked.. I also used to do 10hr+ sessions for days in a row, got hand/arms pains, bad headaches, blurry vision. I'm not sure if it is possible to maintain this even taking extra care with health.

Why i play microstakes? I like to play against fish and win consistently. I like the low variance. It is also good practice for live poker

I started to play PLO at fast poker tables to learn the technique and get experience with more sensible players, playing with mobiles. Stars with no HUD like that - additionally to Party and GG. I eventually got enough roll for PLO25 but couldn't handle the size of the game, so I am stuck with PLO10, fast tables, that's an ideal place for me as I feel it.

I still have thouble putting in more than 10 per MTT - meaning I have to play lower than that when they are with unlimited re-buys. The ROI (winrate) is a piece of the buy-in. The rake/juice at MTTs is less than the relative rake at cash games.