Just as poker players constantly move up in limits, any good player will also learn how to move down in limits. There is a lot of negativity associated with moving down in limits. Aside from the obvious frustration, moving down in games is often indicative of some type of failure. While you may have very well failed in a higher limit game, there is next to nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. It is one thing if you took reckless shots or lost your bankroll in a fit of rage, but virtually every player will have to legitimately move down in stakes at some point in their career.
The more that you move up, the tougher that the games become, and the tougher that the games become, the less money that there is to be made. Unless you are Phil Ivey, you will most likely reach that one limit where you are no longer capable of winning at a respectable rate. Now, if this limit is something like 50NL, you have a lot of work to do. On the other hand, if you are in a 5/10 game and find that you just can’t generate a profit at 10/20, you might just not be good enough. Not being “good enough” is something that many players can’t and/or are unwilling to handle. Maybe you don’t have the proper bankroll, maybe your temperament is holding you back, or maybe you are simply getting outplayed on a regular basis. Whatever the reason is, moving down will help you regain your confidence and rebuild your bankroll.
Why You Should Move Down
The most obvious reason for moving down in limits is the financial destruction of your bankroll. Players who play above their means for too long go broke far more often than not. There is absolutely no shortage of players who lost their entire bankrolls because they thought that they would be able to beat games when they realistically had no shot. If losing money isn’t enough of a motivator for you to move down in limits, here are a few more reasons…
Moving down can build confidence so that you can move back up. Sometimes the money is irrelevant and simply feeling what it’s like to win will be more than enough to set you back on track. Why do you think baseball teams send their players to the minor leagues when they are struggling? So that they can work on their skills and be better prepared the next time they get a shot at the higher levels. Poker is much the same in that moving down allows a player to work on their skills in the most cost effective and logical manner.
Losing money was already mentioned as a reason to move down, but how about making money? You might be losing money in the current games, but couple that with the fact that you should be able to make some back in the lower games and you have all the more reason to drop down for a little while. Moving down in limits may not be something you brag about, but it is an indicator of a good poker player.
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