How do they do it?

3 of the first 4 hands at a table, I had 44, 55, and 44 again. Limp / called a preflop raise with the first 44; all overs flopped, BB pot bets, I fold. 55 I raised from UTG+2, player to my left re-pops, I smooth call for set-mining odds. Overs with 2 clubs hit the flop, I bet 1/3 pot, guy shoves, I fold. I don't even remember the 3rd 44 hand. I had trouble at this table, though: my raises weren't getting respect, and I dropped from $10 to $7 quickly. I bailed, and found another table. Well, 2 actually, and figured I'd play until I decided which was more comfortable.

Not long after I sat down, sitting with approx. $9.50, I find 44 (again!) from late position. I join a couple limpers, then the button pops it to $0.50, and it folds back to me. Of course, I have to call: he's got $9.30 left, and I know if he's got a big pair, and I hit my set, it's all going in. $0.40 to flop a set and get the remaining $9.30? Of course I'm calling.

FLOP: Kc 2d 4c.

"I love it when a plan comes together."

I'm not gonna check-raise to give away the strength of my hand. I bet what I'd bet if I were on a flush draw: a little more than 1/2 pot. I bet $0.60. He raises to $1.60. Unless he has KK, I'm golden here. For these stakes, online, with very little information to go off of, I cannot start making psychic reads or hero laydowns because it may be a set over set deal. If he's got any sort of hand here, I know it's all going in.

I re-raise pot: $5 or something. I don't remember exactly, and am not clear on how to do the math for that (I just clicked the pot button), but I do know that it only left me a couple bucks left. The other guy shoves, and of course I'm calling:

How is top pair good here? How can you think, if someone has re-raised enough to only leave him a buck or 2 behind, that they're not completely dominating you? I hoped to god the guy had AK here and wanted it all in. He didn't even have that!

Over the summer I was getting pummeled at these micro-limits, and I know why now: I was playing like that dude was, figuring top pair would be great, and if not, oh well, it's only ten bucks. That's a great way to develop bad habits. Playing these limits like they mean something is a great way to play profitable poker (albeit small profits) against bad players.

I recently read an interview with Doyle Brunson, and he talks about playing poker at different levels. Here's a guy who's played $1,000 / $2,000 games, and he says that he knows players at that level who can't play well at $100 / $200 because they don't treat the game the same way. Your chips are betting units, not money. Treating the betting units as that, then you should be playing optimally at whatever level you choose.

Of course, you'll have to make adjustments to the skill of your opponents, and you may need to play a much more straightforward game at small levels, but you make that adjustment at any table you're at.

While I started out a tournament player, I am much, much more interested in cash game play. Much more interesting IMHO.