Micro vs Low vs Mid vs High stakes... (1 Viewer)

[Mental Nomad]

Where are the rough boundaries? I'm sure this varies a bit by area/cost of living, but I'm really curious where opinion falls on this.

Am thinking more about limit and no-limit holdem... adding too many other games may confuse the issue, unless we're expressing the game in terms of typical buy-ins/stakes instead of typical limits/blinds/antes...

 

[manamongkids]

IMO

Micro- everything up to 25c/50c

Low-25c/50c - 1/1

Mid - 1/2 - 5/10

High - 5/10+

And if you play in the MA/NH games, Micro stakes plays like a 2/5 Foxwoods game.

 

[jbutler]

grunching

micro: toothpick/toothpick through .25/.50

low: 1/1 through 2/5 (100 BB cap buy-in)

mid: 2/5 (uncapped or deep buy-in) through 5/10

high: 10/20 and up

 

[MoscowRadio]

IMO

Micro- everything up to 25c/50c

Low-25c/50c - 1/1

Mid - 1/2 - 5/10

High - 5/10+

This is how I've always thought of it.

 

[courage]

Isn't this pretty much defined at 2+2 and other forums, and online at P*, Full Tilt, etc.

 

[detroitdad]

grunching

micro: toothpick/toothpick through .25/.50

low: 1/1 through 2/5 (100 BB cap buy-in)

mid: 2/5 (uncapped or deep buy-in) through 5/10

high: 10/20 and up

I concur. Does it change if its a home game vs Casino vs Online?

1/1 or 1/2 in a casino I'm guessing is generally viewed as low stakes. On the rare occasion that I host a 1/2 game, then the guys consider that high stakes.

 

[Mental Nomad]

I'm assuming all of the above are for no limit... in the AC casinos I've been to, I don't recall ever seeing a limit table lower than 2/4, which I consider roughly equivalent stakes to 1/2 NL.

I'm finding the answers here interesting... thanks. The questions that prompted this is: is $.25/.50 micro, or low? And how high before it's no longer "low?"

I'm seeing $.25/.50 called both, which strongly implies that'e the border. But the top end of "low?" seems to vary a lot more, and it matters a lot what stakes those people usually play, like detroitdad brings up.

 

[BGinGA]

I call anything that uses fractionals for both blinds as micro (so up to 50c/50c).

50c/$1 and 1/2 would fall into my 'low' category (along with limit games up to 3/6, 2/4 in some circles).

I consider anything at/above 5/10 NL/PL (and 10/20 limit) as high stakes. Not as in 'High Stakes Poker" show high stakes, but usually requiring a hefty bankroll for casual non-pro players.

 

[Bloody Marvelous]

When you're talking about $10/$20 Fixed Limit, are you talking about blinds or bets?

As I've always understood it, NL/PL is expressed in blinds, while Fixed Limit is expressed in betsizes. So a $1/$2 NL/PL game is equivalent to a $4/$8 Limit game (with $2/$4 blinds). A $2/$5 NL/PL would be equivalent to $10/$20 FL (with $5/$10 blinds).

For me it's:
Micro = $0.05/$0.10 & $0.10/$0.25 NL ($0.20/$0.40 & $0.50/$1 FL)
Low = $0.25/$0.50 & $0.50/$1 NL ($1/$2 & $2/$4 FL)
Medium = $1/$2, $1/$3 & $2/$5 NL ($4/$8, $6/$12 & $10/$20 FL)
High = everything above or where they don't take rake anymore, but a time collection fee.

 

[Mr. Cheese]

I consider anything under .25/.50 to be micro.
Anything .25/50 to .50/1 to be low
1/2 to 3/6 to be medium
5/10 + high.

Just my .02

 

[Trihonda]

I consider anything under .25/.50 to be micro.
Anything .25/50 to .50/1 to be low
1/2 to 3/6 to be medium
5/10 + high.

Just my .02

Yup, this ^^

Now we're up to $.04

 

[Mental Nomad]

When you're talking about $10/$20 Fixed Limit, are you talking about blinds or bets?

As I've always understood it, NL/PL is expressed in blinds, while Fixed Limit is expressed in betsizes. So a $1/$2 NL/PL game is equivalent to a $4/$8 Limit game (with $2/$4 blinds). A $2/$5 NL/PL would be equivalent to $10/$20 FL (with $5/$10 blinds).

Ah, right - I was thinking 2/4 betting limits in limit, and 1/2 blinds in no limit, but 2/4 limit has 1/2 blinds and is equivalent to $.50/1 NL... my bad.

 

[MeridianFC]

I always kind of thought of it as micro being pennies and dimes to maybe quarter based bets, low being anything from quarter up to the lowest possible level casino games (1/2), mid being up to 3/6, and high being anything above that (5/10+). Seems to me that most recreational players start to feel uncomfortable the closer one approaches casino levels of money.

I feel most comfortable in a game where my possible loss limit is about the same as a typical bar tab for me. You should see my bar tabs.

 

[bergs]

I've always thought about it in regards to max buyins.

$20-$100: Micro stakes
$100 - $500: Low stakes
$500 - $2000: Medium stakes
$2000+: High stakes
Uncapped games: Potentially very high stakes (I think about Guinness' stories where guys bought into $5/5 uncapped with $20K at Foxwoods)

 

[Mental Nomad]

Cool! That's the first voice for defining stakes based on the actual stakes, not the structure.

It's weird to call a micro NL game "micro limit," since there are none... but the pots are a multiple of the blinds, and the blinds are micro. But I've never heard anyone refer to "micro blinds..." If I hear micro limit or low limit, they usually mean limit games.

Referring to stakes is consistent between different games... but even if there were no max buy-in at a 1/2 limit game, you'll still not be able to contribute much more than $24 to a pot... there's only so far a heads-up raising war usually goes.

 

[RowdyRawhide]

I've always thought about it in regards to max buyins.

$20-$100: Micro stakes
$100 - $500: Low stakes
$500 - $2000: Medium stakes
$2000+: High stakes
Uncapped games: Potentially very high stakes (I think about Guinness' stories where guys bought into $5/5 uncapped with $20K at Foxwoods)

Holy shit! I bout choked on my gum at your $100 micro stakes max. You boys have deeper pockets than me (and most of the people I can get to play at my home games).

I kinda started thinking about it in buy ins as well after I started reading the first few posts.

Under $40 buy in - micro
$40-$200 - low
$200-$1000 - medium
over $1000 - high

many of you would probably consider me a tightass especially you NE'ers (and courage's home games)

 

[Bloody Marvelous]

I've always thought about it in regards to max buyins.

$20-$100: Micro stakes
$100 - $500: Low stakes
$500 - $2000: Medium stakes
$2000+: High stakes
Uncapped games: Potentially very high stakes (I think about Guinness' stories where guys bought into $5/5 uncapped with $20K at Foxwoods)

I'm sure this is true from the viewpoint of the casino . But for most of us mere mortals $100-$500 is very much medium stakes.

 

[krafticus]

I think it all depends on your bankroll. I would think 1/2 for some could be high, where are the higher stakes would be "insane"

 

[detroitdad]

Holy shit! I bout choked on my gum at your $100 micro stakes max. You boys have deeper pockets than me (and most of the people I can get to play at my home games).

I kinda started thinking about it in buy ins as well after I started reading the first few posts.

Under $40 buy in - micro
$40-$200 - low
$200-$1000 - medium
over $1000 - high

many of you would probably consider me a tightass especially you NE'ers (and courage's home games)

exactly. My bankroll has 6100 in it. All my poker expenses, buy in's, ect....come out of it. I order new cards, comes out of my bankroll. 100-500 is definitely medium for me.

 

[bergs]

I was looking at it from more of a recreational casino poker player's perspective. The majority of rec players play 1/2, which is $100-300 buyins typically.

I'd actually change medium to be $500-1500. Once you get over $1500 and make a pot sized bet you're looking at pushing a mortgage payment in the middle.