When should you move up?

[xGoreDudex]

Just curious guys,
If your a winning player at .5/$1 and are wondering when is a good time to move up to $1/2, what should be your guide.

What I was thinking is...

10k hands
2.5bb/100 or more
obviously the bankroll
good PT stats...

Just curious if I should be moving up...

[bozlax]

You have to have replied to at least 7 effing, "When should I move up?" posts before moving up yourself.

That's 5!

I'm the same situation. And since I've got the roll, I have started taking shots at 1/2. Just playing a few sessions every week.

So I would say, take a shot whenever you feel comfortabel. Just be prepared to move down again.

[SoftcoreRevolt]

2.5 BB/100 over 10K hands at .5/1 really isn't alot. If someone was winning that much at .5/1 I'd tell them to wait until 20K. The games are so good at that level that your winrate can really move up and down over 10K hands.

You should move up when:

You have a bankroll that you personally are comfortable playing with at a higher limit. This could be 300 BB, it could be 3,000 BB.

You are sure you are a winner at the limit you are playing, and will continue to win when you move up.

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
.5/$1...when is a good time to move up to $1/2.

What I was thinking is...

10k hands
2.5bb/100 or more
obviously the bankroll

[/ QUOTE ]
I would think more like...
20k hands min. 10k is an indicator, but not a very sure one.
3.0 BB/100 minimum, 3.5 min. better. Beating Party .5/1 for 2.5 BB is nice, but not really saying a lot, unless your doing it while multitabling 3 or more tables which means you would probably be at 3+ on 2 tables.
Bankroll

[NateDog]

OK, I'm guilty of posing this exact same question not too long ago. I took a couple of shots at 1/2, fumbled around for a bit, and dropped back to my .5/1 comfort zone. I was dissapointed in myself, and stopped playing for a couple of weeks. Got back on, went to 1/2 full time and got pimp-slapped to the tune of 75BB. Some senior posters gave me the brilliant advice of NOT PLAYING 4 TABLES when you aren't quite yet comfortable. I dropped to single tabling, and getting a sweat every now and then. I'm now in the green (just barely, but in the green) and have started to feel a lot more comfortable. The game is different, although not much. Tons of players have done it before, and most comment on how it seemed brutal at the time, but going back now, it's a piece of pie.

You will run into good players, aggressive players, rocks, and donks, just like .5/1. If the $$ scares you, then you aren't ready. If you haven't yet learned to obseve players and their tendencies, you aren't ready. If you don't know what to do when a LPP checkraises your TPNK on the turn when a blank hits, you aren't ready. If you don't know how many outs you have at any time in the hand, well you know the answer by now.

Put in the time, not just playing, but learning. It's a challenge to me to get better, and that's why I wanted to move up. I have a job, I don't need the money, but I'm a competitive person. I want to get better. If I just wanted to win, I'd stay at .5/1 forever.

You will be told over and over, like I have, that 1/2 full is a weak-tight game. You have to learn to deal with that (getting your TP called down the whole way by an overpair, and such), and it requires that you acquire some new skills. That is the fun part, evolving your game.

Good luck, and keep running g00t.

Nate

[LoaferGee12]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
.5/$1...when is a good time to move up to $1/2.

What I was thinking is...

10k hands
2.5bb/100 or more
obviously the bankroll

[/ QUOTE ]
I would think more like...
20k hands min. 10k is an indicator, but not a very sure one.
3.0 BB/100 minimum, 3.5 min. better. Beating Party .5/1 for 2.5 BB is nice, but not really saying a lot, unless your doing it while multitabling 3 or more tables which means you would probably be at 3+ on 2 tables.
Bankroll

[/ QUOTE ]

Does 3 BB/100 minimum seem a bit high to anyone else? Let alone 3.5 ..

[ArturiusX]

If you can destroy .50/1, you can destroy 1/2.

[bottomset]

I played just 6k hands before moving up to 1/2 6max

there isn't a set # or bb/100 you need, a lot of ppl run hot at .5/1 have a big winrate and think they are hot [censored], not gonna name names but lets just say the ppl suggesting 2.5/100 is nowhere near enough need a reality check.

its more about are you comfortable with the money, it will likely take a while for that to come, are you bankrolled? are you willing to drop down? starting with 1table of 1/2 and 1-2tables .5/1 is a decent way to start the transition, too many ppl feel like they are "1/2" players now and make the move too fast.

[detruncate]

Asking what sort of BB/100 you need over 10,000 hands to consider moving up should automatically prevent you from doing so.

Seriously.

I know you're working on your game and you've shown a good attitude re. taking advice and such, so I won't hold it against you (and will pretend that that means something until I sober up).

You know when you're ready to move up. You don't have to ask. You may want someone to help you build your confidence, but nothing anyone says will change the fact that you know when you're ready to move up.

It's not that complicated. Do you have the roll? Are you mentally prepared to endure a rough transition? Do you think your game is up to it? Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone? Does the prospect of failure seem like something you can deal with?

Play as many or as few hands as you're comfortable with. Choose the path that's right for you.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

[Online247]

[ QUOTE ]
If you can destroy .50/1, you can destroy 1/2.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can destroy 1/2 you can destroy 2/4... si? /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[aK13]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you can destroy .50/1, you can destroy 1/2.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can destroy 1/2 you can destroy 2/4... si? /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently not true for me...

[@bsolute_luck]

there is little to no difference between the levels.

move up when you're ready. that's all there really is to it.

[Shillx]

10k hands is no where near enough to know if you are a winner or not (let alone a significant winner). I've played over 40k hands since switching to SNGs and I still have no idea if I'm a winner or not. You can get an idea based off of stats if you are a winner or not, but it takes hundred of thousands or hands to know with any kind of accuracy.

I have a feeling that you VASTLY underestimate the amount of luck that is involved in this game. It is very easy to evade a downswing when you play 10k hands at a level. Declaring yourself a "winner" when you are just running good can lead to dangerous consequences.

Brad

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
the ppl suggesting 2.5/100 is nowhere near enough need a reality check.

[/ QUOTE ]
My experience is that I was winning PTY .5/1 at 2.5 BB while I was still making a lot of pretty obvious mistakes in the heat of battle. Once I got to where I thought I was playing pretty good, I was playing at or over 4BB/100. I estimate playing .5/1 really well would yield 5 to 6 and maybe 7 BB/100.

Making 2.5BB/100 at .5/1 is mediocre poker at best. If someone is comfortable moving up to 1/2 while playing mediocre, mistake filled poker, go ahead.

Maybe my experience is somewhat different than most because of the VPIP levels I play at. (27 @1/2 & 30 @.5/1.) I can't afford to make a lot of postflop mistakes with all those hands. Maybe if you play much tighter, you can transition up easier and avoid a lot of problems simply by only playing premium hands.

[bottomset]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a feeling that you VASTLY underestimate the amount of luck that is involved in this game. It is very easy to evade a downswing when you play 10k hands at a level. Declaring yourself a "winner" when you are just running good can lead to dangerous consequences.


[/ QUOTE ]

this is soo true, I've been through a stretch like that, I ran well for 10k at 1/2 6max before the wheels feel off, I was a very average player, I've improved a lot since then, but I had the overconfidence in my abilities issue. I laugh at how bad I was 4-5months ago

Over 8k hands, I was beating .5/1 for only 2.6 BB/100... difference is, it was on Stars, which is a bit of a rock garden, even at such a low level.

I am shocked to discover how much easier it is to beat Party 1/2 tables than Stars .5/1. Instead of 2-4 people per flop on average, I am getting 4-6 on average. Only have a measly 600 hands of 1/2 on Party logged, so I am certian my 12 BB/100 winrate will go down drastically soon, but these players are ridiculous. For example, calling 3 bets cold preflop with K5o preflop, then calling with nothing but the king overcard and a backdoor straight draw to the river, and calling the river with king high. Free money.

Anybody with half a brain can beat the 1/2 Party... Might as well correct your mistake-riddled poker there, where you will make twice as much than the .5/1 tables.

Anyways, don't criticize us ~2.5 BB/100 folks, we could just have poor table selection skills. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[detruncate]

The best extended stretch I had in my lots of .5/1 was my first x hands. I didn't have much idea what I was doing, but had few enough hands under my belt that a good run could put me over my "good" threshold wrt winrate. I wasn't able to duplicate that winrate in at least 2x more hands despite being significantly better. If anyone cares, x > 20,000.

[grjr]

[ QUOTE ]

this is soo true, I've been through a stretch like that, I ran well for 10k at 1/2 6max before the wheels feel off, I was a very average player, I've improved a lot since then, but I had the overconfidence in my abilities issue. I laugh at how bad I was 4-5months ago

[/ QUOTE ]

That's where you and I differ. I laugh at how bad I am NOW. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif