Poker Play
In the context of poker, levels can mean many things. The two things most people think of are levels as in ability and stakes, and levels as in blinds.
The blinds are the amounts posted by the people to the left of the dealer. In poker tournaments, the blinds have levels. As play goes on, blinds will increase every X number of minutes. These increasing levels of blinds are designed as a way to “burst the bubble”, and ensure that play continues at a decent pace. Tight players who never push to win a big hand will eventually bust out if they ignore the increasing blinds.
If you’re a new player sticking to micro-stakes games, you’re probably wondering about the other stakes levels. Well, you’ll find that when your bankroll increases to a large enough amount to move to one of the other levels, you’ll see a big change in play.
Players in the lower stakes rooms often don’t care about the money they’re playing with. Sometimes they’ll pay money just to see your hand – not because they reckon they can beat it, but just because they’re curious, and “hey, the pot’s only 50 cents!”.
Players in higher stakes rooms care more about their bankroll, so they tend to play more carefully, which can be a good thing in many ways, but also reduces the number of big and easy pots you can scoop. Those players usually have either a higher ability level, or a fatter wallet. Yes, there are still fish in some of the bigger rooms.
Finding the right level to play at will take a mixture of experimentation and careful bankroll management. Once you’re there, don’t be in a rush to move up!