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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.

In a live casino, the smallest stakes poker games are $1 / $2 – with a buy-in of $200. When you go online, you’ll find the games start a lot lower than this. Almost every online poker site will have games with 1c / 2c blinds. Jun 30, 2014 In a live casino, the smallest stakes poker games are $1 / $2 – with a buy-in of $200. When you go online, you’ll find the games start a lot lower than this. Almost every online poker site will have games with 1c / 2c blinds. Aug 25, 2020 Best Micro Stakes Poker Sites. Most of the largest online poker sites include some low stakes online poker games in their offer, but that doesn't mean you can play poker for pennies just about.

Best small stakes poker rooms.

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.

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.

• 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

• $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:

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.

One of the many advantages offered by online poker is the widespread availability of low stakes games. In the real world, you would be fortunate to find anything lower than $1/$2 no-limit or $3/$6 fixed-limit. Live casinos just aren’t interested in diverting resources to host low level games. Meanwhile, the internet is chock full of games that go as low as €0.01/€0.02 no-limit and €0.2/€0.04 fixed limit.

Virtually every poker site on the planet has a variety of both ring games and tournaments starting at extremely low levels. You won’t have much trouble finding a place to play, but there’s no question that some sites are much better than others for small stakes players. In my experience, the following sites offer the best all-around combination of soft games, high player traffic and small deposits.

How Low Limit Games Work

If you’re new to poker, low limit games offer a great starting point. The competition isn’t overly difficult, but the people do play with a sense of purpose. Low stakes games provide a nice middle ground between the play-money games where people play with reckless abandon and the higher level games where the opposition can be fairly advanced.

In the table that you see above, I’ve listed the smallest no-limit cash games and lowest buyin tournaments that you’ll find at each site. Most sites allow you to buy in for up to 100 times the big blind in no limit games. So if you see the stakes listed as €0.01/€0.02, for example, the maximum buyin is €2.00. You have something of value on the line, but you’re not risking much in the grand scheme of things.

Most low limit poker sites host games that start at either the €0.01/€0.02 or €0.02/€0.04 level for no limit and fixed limit tables. The stakes go up from there to €0.05/€0.10, €0.10/€0.25 and so on all the way up to €500/€1,000 depending on where you play. Small stakes tournaments typically start out with buyins as low as €1 and sometimes even lower than that.

Player traffic tends to be the highest at low stakes games no matter where you play. Finding a table will only be a challenge at the smallest and least-populated poker sites. The sites that I recommend are all medium to large, so you’ll have plenty of tables to choose from any time of day or night.

As far as safety goes, that’s a given. I never recommend poker sites that aren’t 100% reputable and safe places to play. Even though we’re not talking about thousands of euros here, there’s no need to play at a site that can’t keep your bankroll safe or provide fair games.

Making a Small Deposit

After you choose a poker site, the next step in getting started is to make a real money deposit. Every deposit method has both upper and lower limits on transaction sizes. If you can part with at least €20, you should be able to use 99% of the deposit methods out there.

If you’re really limited on funds, you can deposit as little as €5 with some methods. Credit cards, Skrill and Paysafecard all come with a lower limit of €5. That’s about as low as it goes online. After that point, payment processors start to lose money on transactions.

The fastest way to get started with just a little money is to find your credit or debit card and use that to make your deposit. All you have to do is type in the numbers on the card like you would with any other online purchase and your account will be credited with the funds instantly. If you choose this deposit method, you’ll be playing in real money games five minutes from now.

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What About Deposit Bonuses?

Deposit bonuses are great bankroll boosters, but you need to deposit enough money to make it worth your while. If you have a couple hundred euros/dollars to spare, you can hit the sweet spot of most deposit bonuses. Typical welcome offers double your first deposit up to a max of about €1,000 to €2,000. If you just want to deposit a little, that’s fine too.

I’ll go ahead and warn you now that bonuses aren’t all that useful for micro stakes players. If you’re planning on playing in the absolute lowest level games, it’s going to take a long time to clear any bonus. The speed at which your bonus cash is released ultimately depends on how much rake you generate at the tables. Micro stakes games generate very little rake and make it difficult to clear a bonus.

The best thing you can do is just focus on improving your game and winning money at the tables. There will also be more bonuses out there. Spend a little time building your bankroll now so that you can take full advantage of any bonuses that you find later.

Are Low Stakes Poker Games Beatable?

Absolutely. The smaller the stakes, the easier the opposition. Even with all the training material available online today, the small and micro stakes games can be crushed if you use the right strategy. It’s always funny when I see someone complain about how atrocious the players are and how they can’t wait to move up in stakes where people actually make sense.

Let me assure you of one thing: whenever your opponents make mistakes, it’s a good thing for you. If you have multiple opponents making multiple mistakes in every hand, you’re bound to win money using basic, ABC poker strategy. Yes, you do experience more bad beats when everyone calls everything, but you get paid so much more on your made hands over the long run.

Micro Stakes Online Poker Sites For Play Money

If you find yourself at a table of low stakes fish, the best thing you can do is be patient and play straightforward poker. Fold your weak hands, bet your strong hands and avoid chasing draws when the pot odds don’t justify doing so. That’s all you have to do. Don’t worry about bluffing or getting too tricky. Tight, basic poker is how you win money at the micros.