Mid-stakes player styles

At the mid stakes level, player styles vary depending on the site. At PokerStars, players are in general more aggressive and will fire more shells at pots to win them, but at a site like Absolute Poker, playing 5/10 is as easy as playing lower limit games.

Of course there is always a smaller group of regular players at AP than pokerstars and not as many tables will run at a time. But to be efficient and make money at that level, you have to be able to recognize what type of table you are at anyway.

The amount of top level cash game players isn't all that vast on Absolute Poker during a regular week of Monday through Thursday. Most people who play then are all the regulars and if you are just starting to move up in limit, you would want to stay away from them until you have the proper poker strategy.

After one hand of taking a bad beat or losing focus, these players will capitalize almost immediately if they see you have started to raise too many hands and will just run right over your plays.

During the weekends (Friday through Sunday) is when all the fish start to play the higher limit games and where the most money is to be made online. Playing in a game during the week as opposed to weekends are two completely different things.

The level of play at mid-stakes decreases significantly as soon as Friday comes around, fish sit higher than they should, and you can boost your bankroll back up from the woes you encountered during the week. Playing against fish is very simple to do. Wait for hands, and let them shell their money away at you, if you get unlucky so be it, that's poker.

Mid-stakes No-Limit Hold'em Poker

In general 5/10 games are either much laid back where people are folding a lot of hands or very aggressive where players try to run over you at the table. To be able to decipher when to be able to pick good spots is really all about observing the players' styles at the table for a little while, then starting to pick your game up accordingly.

If players are playing aggressive and constantly playing their button, then you might want to start 3 betting more often pre flop to pick small pots up, and check raising hands. Waiting for hands and flat calling their bets with big pairs, then check raising turns or rivers also is a good way to play, because the aggressive players will always fire multiple shells at pots to win them.

Being a rock at the mid stakes level is simply not going to work out that well, as players will see this and not play pots with you. To have the right mix of play at the mid stakes level you need to be willing at any time to commit the stack in front of you; if you feel like you are ahead in a pot; or you feel like you can win the pot by making a lucrative bet.

Players who are coined to be rocks at the table will be attempted to get run over by aggressive players more times than not. Aggressive poker is winning poker, as the saying goes and to be able to win big pots without having big hands will certainly increase the amount of money you make.

Very few players will fire 3 shells at a pot to win it because they feel if the person called twice, they will most likely commit the rest of their money to a hand on the river.

That is why sometimes making a large bet on the turn, after a raise pre flop, and bet on the flop is the best play in most instances. If a player floats your bet on the flop who is a rock type player with middle pair or a middle pocket pair, you are really in a great spot to take down a hand. Many times players will float bets to take the pot down later and by making that play you have put them to the decision rather than them putting you to one.

You need time and patience to get used to the greater aggression at the mid stakes games.

The key is gradual improvement and constant focus on your opponents' style. Observe the mid-stakes players' styles before making your move.

The image on the right shows the pokerstars mid stakes lobby, and there is plenty at $3/$6 or $5/$10 action all the time. Enjoy.