Stepping back so I can move forward. Advice needed.

[Stealthy]

A bit about me to start I think.

I have been playing online since last October and did a lot of groundwork before spending a single $ online. I had played a lot of play money tables and read a lot of literature including The Theory of Poker and Small Stakes Holdem which brought me to this forum.

I joined a UK site as I live there but soon found that the site was so small that a lot of the times I could not get the small limit games I was after and ended up playing micro NL on there. Early this year I deposited my first money on Party and played the $1 $2 full ring limit tables. Over the next 5 weeks I won well and was happy with the world but there were problems. The main one being the time difference. The main times I can play is between 5pm and 8pm GMT which is mid-day til 3pm EST over in the states. This meant that the only games I was getting were against the day time crowd in the USA which meant tight tables and little action. Most pots at this time are won without showdown and are small. It doesn't mean that I could run a successful bluff more but you were always tempted too. So after my first downswing in limit poker I moved to NL and have been there ever since. Both in full ring and shorthanded I have had almost continual success and have recorded just 3 losing weeks since I started out in October. So what is the problem?

My game sucks, pure and simple. As a limit player I was the proper TAG player and whilst I still made plenty of mistakes I was getting better and was happy with the way I played. As a NL player of $25 NL and then $50 NL my play was a lot more in the realms of TP-A. My game deteriorated I feel and is not a game I beleive I can take to the higher limits and survive with for reasons which I don't need to go into.

The upshot is that I am moving back to limit, starting again at the $1 $2 level till I re-find my game and then straight to $3 $6 and then onwards and upwards. As the problem of tight tables is still there I have decided to go for shorthanded games to try and catch some looser action, hense why I will be skipping $2 $4 as Party has no shorthanded $2 $4 games.

After that pre-amble, and if you are still reading, I have a few questions.

1. Being that for every 30 hands at 6 MAX in a $3 $6 you will be paying $22.50 in blinds or $0.75 per hand rather than $13.50 in blinds or $0.45 per hand, can I reasonable expect to more than overcome this larger price in the looser play I will be up against?

2. Given the nature of shorthanded games I know I will have to be more aggressive pre-flop (no open limping etc) but how does this follow through in later streets? If I raise after 2 folds from the CO with AJ suited and the button calls (who is a calling station) and all others fold, if the flop brings no help (which is likely) and I fire on the flop and get called, do I keep firing on the turn and river assuming that my Ace high is good (as my opponent could be fishing with a weaker ace or on a draw) unless he gives me reason to think otherwise? This situation I would imagine comes up a lot against players who will call down with any hand or draw but will bet if you check to them. The basic question is do you ram and jam until given a reason not to i.e. played back at or a scary board.

3. I have read a lot of recent posts in this section and keep seeing references to certain players being 36/9 or 69/25. I have pokertracker but have not used gametime too much (but will do as a matter of course when I play limit) but am not sure what this stat means, is it % of hands played and % of pre-flop raising? Could somebody enlighten me?

4. With all the 2plus2ers killing Party now are there enough bad players left for little old me?

Well if you read all of this thanks for putting up with my waffle and I would appreciate any advice that could be given.

[RunDownHouse]

If you're asking about comparable achievable winrates across NL and limit, I have no idea. But just assume somewhere between 2 and 3BB/100 at limit and then compare that to your NL winrate, making sure to adjust for hands/hour if needed. That should give you an idea of the relative profitability of each. I guess.

There isn't really an answer to your second question, that's just something you'll have to figure out through reading/posting and experience.

When someone is described as 25/18, that's VPIP and PFR, respectively.

There's plenty of bad players around, especially at lower limits.

[Stealthy]

No my first question was relating to whether the extra cost per hand of a 6 MAX table compared to a full game can be overcome by the play being worse, i.e. having a bigger edge. This is directly related to limit and not NL.

I know that on a purely financial basis I will make a lot less at the $1 $2 tables than I made at NL which is why I spoke about stepping back. It is only once I get to the $3 $6 games that I can expect to move ahead of my $50 NL money if I am good enough.

[jba]

[ QUOTE ]
No my first question was relating to whether the extra cost per hand of a 6 MAX table compared to a full game can be overcome by the play being worse, i.e. having a bigger edge. This is directly related to limit and not NL.


[/ QUOTE ]

the extra cost per hand is overcome by the extra equity per hand. You are always paying 1/n of the blind every hand regardless of the value of n (where n=number of players dealt in).

[Stealthy]

Yep good point jba, I had not considered that which is silly really.

[RunDownHouse]

Like jba said, its not correct to think of it as a "cost," like a sunk cost in economic terms. You have some right to that money.

Ed Miller - I think it was Miller - wrote aboute this concept in the 2+2 internet magazine from a couple months ago.

[Stealthy]

[ QUOTE ]
Like jba said, its not correct to think of it as a "cost," like a sunk cost in economic terms. You have some right to that money.

Ed Miller - I think it was Miller - wrote aboute this concept in the 2+2 internet magazine from a couple months ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

Had a look for this but guess it has "outdated" itself now.

I am so pleased to have finally made the decision to come back to limit as the chance to play a much better game (as in I play better at limit than NL) is compelling, but also beacuse I have won and lost $200+ pots in NL moving through the lower limits will hold no fear for me in $ terms. Small fry I know in the realms of the size of games available that many others play, but good to have that behind me.

[SnglMaltScotch]

Have you considered the Prima Network. A bunch of sites with pretty good bonuses plus their prime-time should be at the same time as yours.

Just a thought.