O-Poker

Why buy-in for the minimum in a NL cash game?

Sometimes, I will sit at an empty NL cash table and wait for others to join. I always sit with the maximum in any NL cash game that I am playing. About 75%+ of the time the second player to join the table either buy-in for the default ($80 at 1/2 NL on pokerstars; $100 on UB) or they buy in for the minimum.

I do not understand why anyone would buy in for less than the maximum. If you don’t feel comfortable having that much money on the table then you are playing at stakes that are over your head.

I had a conversation with a guy at one of my tables last night. He joined the table with $50 at a 1/2 NL game. We were talking a little – all positive. I asked him why he didn’t buy in for the max. He said that it was a strategy decision. He said people were more likely to call his all in bets. OK – I’ll give him that one. He does have a better than average chance to double up with a good hand, but he is doubling up from a lot smaller base.

I went on to ask, “Wouldn’t you want to maximize your wins?” His response, “It might maximize my losses.” Wrong attitude!! If you start thinking like this you, you are playing at a disadvantage, IMHO.

He continued to tell me how great of a strategy it was to buy-in for $50 and how buying in for the maximum could cost you a lot of money and I politely replied, “ty for the advice.”

I think you have to do what works for you and maybe this is what was working for him. The guy was a solid player. He may be making good money with this “strategy,” but I think he could be making a lot more by buying in for the max.

Good luck at the tables,

cmitch