How many hands before I move up?

[blubster]

How many hands would you guys recommend I play before moving up in stakes if I'm beating 2-4 6 Max?

I wanna move from 2-4 at Stars to 5-10 at Party

blubster

[TazQ]

Only you can answer this question.

If money is your reason for playing, move up as fast as you can as long as you have an adequate bankroll. No reason you can't take shots and move back down if you stumble.

[Zele]

If you want to take a shot, do it. Just drop down if you get close to your pain threshold. Also realize that having to drop down doesn't necessarily mean your skill isn't there, it's just good bankroll defense (unless of course your pain threshold is -300BB or so.)

[blubster]

OK, I hadn't been playing short handed lately but I think I'll set my goal to move up when I win 100BB at 2-4.

Then see what happens at 5-10.

blubster

[fnord_too]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, I hadn't been playing short handed lately but I think I'll set my goal to move up when I win 100BB at 2-4.

Then see what happens at 5-10.

blubster

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a little caution here: I would temper this a little with some minimum time at the level. Here is my own personal experience at 5/10 SH. I decided to take a break from S&G's, which I was using to build up my Party bank roll, and play a little short handed. Well, the smallest SH game I could find that was of interest to me was 5/10. I went on an absolute tear, and over the first 2k hands was averageing something like 20BB / 100 hands (That certainly built up my BR nicely /images/graemlins/smile.gif ) Since then I have come down to earth and have been on a bit of a skid, loosing maybe 60 or 70 BB in my last 1k or so hands.

The point is, 100 BB can happen very fast, and may not be enough time if you are trying to test yourself. For me, I have learned most of what I know about shorthanded at the 5/10 games on party over the last month. I have learned a ton in this time, but still have a long way to go.

On the other hand, if you have the BR, the 5/10 short games at party are very very good. One suggestion: if you don't have pokertracker (or something similar), get it. I don't know how I lived without it before.

One more random side note, over the 4-5K hands I've played at party, I have played against on the order of 500 different opponents. I mark everyone with a "5/10 Short -" and fill in a read on them as it develops, but I am lucky to see one person I've played with before when I sit at a table. The population that plays 5/10 short is HUGE; game selection is very important, there is no excuse for sitting down at a table that is tough at party, (though I have sat at plenty that are high variance due to the prescence of maniacs).

[blubster]

hi fnord, thanks for the advice.

well it's not that i've just started. I've beat the 1-2 6 Max for a few thousand hands then moved up to 2-4.

At 2-4 I quickly dropped about 185 BB in a downswing but came back from it to be even. That's why I'm thinking if I dig myself out of that and then win 100BB on top of that then I'll be able to at least be somewhat decent at 5-10.

blubster

[tripdad]

bankroll is the key. if you have enough, move now...why waste time at $2/4? that game is an entirely different experience than $5/10. why not learn $5/10 ASAP if you can afford to? i guess what i'm saying is that just because you beat 1/2, 2/4, and 3/6, doesn't mean squat at $5/10. for example, in the $3/6 i play regularly, you can fold to a turn check/raise EVERY time without top 2 pair and will hardly EVER be wrong. in $5/10, i've been check/raised with 9 high and a drawless board!

cheers!

[blubster]

I'm not too sure about that, checking out the 5-10 6 max at party seems like it actually might be softer then some of the 2-4 games I play in at Pokerstars, just MUCH more action at 5-10 on Party. Well, I haven't played the 2-4 all that long but what the heck, I didn't even wait until I won 100BB, I started playing the 5-10 6 max at party today.

let's see what happens

blubster