Not everyone is playing like a phenom online and you’ll see loads of errors if you play low stakes cash. We played some of the lowest cash games online in the last month to identify the rookie mistakes you’ll find people making, and how to exploit them. So, read on if you’re interested in knowing the types of bad play you can expect to find online.

Flat-calling before the flop

Its amazing to see that low stakes cash games still have players entering the pot with a flat call. This play is known as limping in. If you’re new to poker you may ask “what is limping in poker?”. It’s a passive play where you only call the big blind, trying to see the flop as cheap as possible. This is a rookie mistake as you’ll find yourself getting isolated and abused by experienced players, especially if they have position on you. Instead, you should opt for a raise or fold mentality when you are first into the pot. Therefore, if you spot someone limping in, you have a solid range of hands which to isolate them one on one with.

3-betting too small

Another mistake we discovered was people 3-betting too small. The problem with this play is that they give opponents direct odds to call with speculative hands and outdraw. They then moan when aces get cracked by six seven suited but in reality, it’s their own fault. Players are quite rightly adjusting their strategy to 3 bet more these days but their failure to increase their sizing (particularly out of position), is a rookie mistake and quite prevalent in the low stakes cash game scene. So, if you’re looking to 3 bet a hand, make it at least 3.5x from out of position. In position, you can make it slightly smaller (3x) as you have position so fold equity is greater.

Terrible bet sizing
Low stakes cash games have many players still not clued up on how to size their bets. They are all over the place, betting 1/3 on wet board, 80% on dry boards and over bet shoving in poorly chosen scenarios. There is no one size fits all when it comes to poor bet sizing as there is just an abundance of players that seem to size them terribly. The best way to react to this is call wider when they bet small and use pot odds for close spots.

Closing thoughts

As you can see, there are three clearly identifiable rookie mistakes lurking in the low stakes cash games online. If you spot an opponent limping before the flop, re-raising small amounts or having awkward sized bets in the session, don’t even think about leaving the game! These are the types of opponents you want to play regularly as they will increase your win rate in the long run and potentially get you a $10k win in tournaments too. We suggest staying patient, employing a tight aggressive style and you’ll have a great chance of ending the session a winner. Good luck!