Ask the Poker Experts: Help! I’m Too Scared to Move Up in Stakes!

Our ongoing Ask the Poker Experts series is back once again this month with a question quite common among recreational players. It’s good to have a comfort zone in life and in poker, but branching out of it from time to time also has plenty of merit. The trick is often getting the timing right. If you’re a winning poker player at a certain stake level, how do you know when the right time is to move up to the next stake level? The issue isn’t just a mathematical one; i.e., amassing a bankroll of a certain size, but also a psychological one with facets relating to timing and proper game selection.

I’d like to thank professional poker players Maureen Bloechlinger, Lena Evans, Jamie Kerstetter, and David Lappin, who kindly agreed to take part in this month’s panel. I’m certain that Cardplayer Lifestyle readers will find their answers intriguing and instructive.

QUESTION: I’ve been playing live poker recreationally for about 7 years now, and have always played for low stakes, namely $1/2 no-limit hold’em. For the first three years, I was a losing player overall. After reading a couple books I managed to improve my skills to the point where I was a break-even player for the next two years. Over the last two years, I’ve finally become a winning player (and it feels great!). Slowly, but surely, my bankroll is growing.

I’m wondering what the right time is to start playing $2/5 no-limit. On the one hand, I know that it’s the next logical stage for me as a player, but on the other hand I feel like I’ve “worked” really hard to build up a healthy bankroll and I’m worried I could lose a lot of it too quickly, which would hurt. Plus, everyone at those tables always seems to have heaps of chips on the table and a big wad of cash in their pockets. Got any advice?

Jamie Kerstetter

If you’re nervous about moving up in stakes, I would suggest playing your first $2/5 sessions on weekdays, early afternoon when the game tends to be more calm and play a little smaller. The Friday and Saturday night games will eventually be your best bet for making a good hourly rate, but it may be intimidating to start out there if you aren’t comfortable gambling in $2K pots yet. 

David Lappin

David Lappin | Photo credit: Tambet Kask

The first thing I would say is that you are absolutely right. A $2/5 game will play significantly deeper than a $1/2 game – probably twice as deep on average – and very few players will short-stack it for the minimum. There will also be significantly fewer soft spots at the table – maybe three weak players as compared to 5 or 6 in the $1/2 game.

My advice would be to take selective shots in the $2/5 game when it looks relatively soft and to buy in for the stack depth that you at your most comfortable (e.g., if that’s $400 or 200bbs in the $1/2 game then buy in for $1,000 at $2/5).

You mentioned feeling hurt if you lost a lot of money quickly. That’s very understandable. Poker players on an upward trajectory will always be pushing their tolerances for bigger swings. Therefore, another piece of advice I would offer is be willing to play $2/5 but also OK with dropping back down after maybe 3-4 losing sessions. It’s not admitting defeat. It’s just protecting yourself from a negative spiral, and much of the game is mental. Playing a few sessions versus weaker opponents in the $1/2 game wouldn’t be any harm confidence-wise. Then move back up after three winning sessions in a row.

David Lappin is a poker player of 12 years living with his family in Malta. He is also a writer, commentator, and the producer/host of the popular Unibet Poker sponsored poker podcast ‘The Chip Race’ alongside fellow Irish pro and Unibet ambassador Dara O’Kearney.

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