where am i?

[knifeandfork]

so here goes.....
i have noticed that at the limits i play typically 3-6, 4-8 or so that playing "by the book" seems to get the money no problem very consistently with very little risk.I am talking about live games with opponents i am both very familiar with, and that are for the most part "better" than me. also with those completely foreign to me and that seem to have anywhere from no clue to a solid understanding of the game this also applies.I rarely find a lack of action although i do try to advertise a hand every hour or two ususally from a steal position or as a steal attempt(ie 57s from the button with either no callers or one lp raiser/caller)on this particular ad hand i am usually expecting negative value for net gain. if i win without a showdown oh well ill take it:)I think i play a tad tighter and a tad more passive than is necesarry or even correct but it keeps me in my comfort zone, and nothing beats comfort for staying off tilt or becoming a careless winner(for me at least). So what im really asking is before i put my time in and build a large bankroll is there any reason to sway form this tight book rock like approach? The tricky plays i see in the higher limit games (and posts about games)i think are lost on the oblivious. I find some of the players i play with that are better than me and play at higher limits talk about three betting second pair, and folding qq when an ace comes off on the turn these are things i can appreciate, and even do occasionally but with my competiton most of the time those queens are good and that second pair is far from it. When to bet and why is the part of my game i struggle with/try to improve the most, i feel i can discern when to call, raise or fold fairly well but sometiems i bet and when i get raised im befuddled because i thought i was betting to get more money in the pot and now im not so sure if i should have just checked and called.Calling doesnt get to many people to fold but at these limits neither does betting:) the value of betting is sometimes diminished(in my eyes) by the prospect of getting raised. ane example i flop kings with king queen off i bet and get called in two spots (im in the middle of my callers) the turn is a third diamond my opp one checks i bet again and get called twice again ? the river pairs 5s opp checks i check and opp two checks the guy behind me had kj and the other i dunno, but i should have bet, but what do i do if i get raised? i have to call and well if i lose i lose its just these situations that get me missing bets..... so in summary again can i get better and move up with this by the book play or will i fail to improve or learn enough with out trying these tricky slight +ev plays? i think i switch gears and vary my betting style enough to remain not too predictable while sticking to my conservative style. if none of this makes any sense forgive me i just notice the huge difference in strategic advice between low and high stakes and wonder where do i fit in? how do i get there? should i just be careful to look for oblivious players at all levels and not fight too much with the sharks that smelled the blood too? thanks,
jason

[sthief09]

You ask good questions. Here's my best attempt at an answer...

- Tight is a good start, but you have to learn to become more aggressive. You need experience to become more aggressive, so you are probably ready in that aspect

- Tricky plays are generally -EV at the lower limits anyway, so you don't have to worry about this hurting you.

- The problems you describe are the toughest situations in the game, and I think reading the posts in these forums is the absolute best way to work on them.

If you're going to play online, you should probably still start at $.50/$1.00, because online poker does take quite a bit of getting used to. Once you prove to yourself that you're still winning consistently, then you can take off. I wouldn't start at 2/4 or 3/6 right away, because you won't feel as comfortable as you should.

Also, Poker Tracker is pretty much a must if you're going to play online.

But if you're talking about B&M you probably aren't ready for 10/20 (what I consider the cutoff for middle limit) yet. You seem to be too weak-tight, and could get eaten alive by the better players. 10/20 is more about playing the man than the lower limits, and until you improve your aggression and card reading skills, you probably will have a rough go of it.

I would suggest you start to play online. The advantage is that you can play between 2 and 8 times more hands, meaning more experience, and you can pad your bankroll so that when you feel you are ready at 10/20 live, you'll be playing with money that you won playing poker, which might make you feel more confident.

My conceptual problem is kind of like the NY driving laws. When you have a permit, you aren't allowed to drive past like 8pm. So you can't drive at night until you finally get your license. And everyone knows that driving at night is completely different than driving during the day. So you don't know what it's like until you're on your own. That's like middle limit poker. You can't try it without putting the money in to play it, so you really never know what it's like until you jump in. So I guess the only way to really do it is by reading books (which isn't good enough alone) and by saving up a "middle limit fund" that you designate, and convince yourself you won't care about if you lose playing 10/20.

[Nottom]

Paragraphs are your friend.

[Bob T.]

where am i?

If you break this up into topics, and use paragraphs, you might not be so lost, and we could maybe help you sort out the rest. I'd like to help, but I got a headache reading this.

Good luck,
play well,

Bob T.