First, on this anniversary of 9/11/2001, I would like to thank all of the folks who worked and are working so hard to keep our country safe.

For those who were worried I would sulk or cry after last week’s Thought, the good news is I have won all of my sessions since then. Maybe it helps to let it all out.

I have constantly been amazed at how soft the $30-$60 games have been for the past few months. (Incidentally, I played a few hands for a friend in the $400-$800, and that was soft too. Remarkable!) Middle limit games featuring frequent five to seven way action were unheard of a few years ago, except perhaps for a few spots in California. Now they are common everywhere. Luckily for me, I learned to play and beat loose games long before I learned to beat tight ones.

The idea that you cannot beat loose low-limit (or high limit) games because of the frequent suck-outs is nonsense. You will certainly have greater fluctuations (variance is your friend), and your hand selection criteria will have to change significantly, and maybe you will have to adjust your playing style, but these games can surely be beat for good money in the long run.

Which brings me to today’s Thought. Some players, because they have money, like to start playing at fairly high limits. The problem is they will sometimes be unable to adapt when conditions change and the game becomes different from what it used to be. Starting lower, and experiencing all types of games and players on your way up, not only helps your confidence when you get into different situations, but also helps your ego because you will have a history of winning. (Certainly there are successful players who have never played lower limits, just as there are successful players who have never read books. I just think it is a surer way tro success.)