3 Factors Poker Players Must Consider When Increasing Stakes

No poker player wants to get stuck on one level when pursuing a career in poker.

The ultimate aim of every poker pro is to climb the stakes, improve their win rate, become more successful and join higher-level competition.

For instance, if you’ve already conquered the $1/2 NLHE games, the next thing you would want to do is elevate your game and move up to the next level.

As with any other endeavor, setting goals is important in poker, but without a concrete plan, things are bound to fail.

So how will you know if you are really ready to increase the stakes? Making a rash decision and moving up in stakes can be tough on both your bankroll and confidence. We give you three critical factors that you should consider when you are looking at taking your game to a higher level.

Current Performance

In poker, jumping the gun is a big NO. If you are contemplating on moving up the stakes, conduct a proper assessment of your current game. You can monitor your performance by keeping records of your play. List down your wins and losses, as well as those times when you had very poor results.

Ideally, you must achieve a profitable record across more than 500 hours of live play, or about 15,000 hands when you are playing online, before even thinking about moving to the next level.

Bankroll Management

Climbing up the stakes requires proper bankroll management. You must have sufficient funds to be able to sustain potential losses and deal with variance. Also, the level of bankroll needed when playing in higher stakes depends on your play style and strategy.

For example, a loose-aggressive player will have greater swings and variance than a tight player. This means that the loose player needs a bigger bankroll.

As stakes go up, replenishing a bankroll becomes harder. You better do the math before deciding to take part in the next-level games.

Decision Making

Even when you get the first two criteria down, don’t be quick to move up. This is because you need to answer another important question which is will the bigger games be more profitable for you?

Remember, the goal is to win more. It does not matter what level of stakes you are playing at. If playing in the bigger games only end up draining your bankroll, then sticking to your current level is definitely a much better option.