Question About Taking a Shot

Stork · #1 08-31-2005, 12:29 AM

So I play the party 3/6 6-max and my roll is currently alittle above 2000, I was thinkin, how bad of an idea would it be to take 20BB and sit down at a 5/10 6-max table? If I lose it I would go back to 3/6 of course and still have 300BB's for the level. How much harder is 5/10 than 3/6? I don't find 3/6 particularly hard, except for the occasional tricky player who knows when to bluff-raise the turn.

I got the idea after reading Greenstein's book and he talks about how if you have enough for 1 buy in, don't be afraid to sit in on a game above your roll when it looks good...

Catt · #2 08-31-2005, 12:38 AM

I haven't read Greenstein's article, but I wouldn't "take a shot" with one buy-in let alone slightly less than one buy-in. The variance in these games is huge, and my personal preference is to really take a shot when I feel ready to, which is to take a shot with multiple buy-ins so even if I run bad I can see enough of the game to start to get a feel for the new level. You could buy-in for 20 BBs, make second best hand and miss an expensive flush draw and be done with it; I'd prefer to get a better look at the game, even when I start out pretty badly.

wackjob · #3 08-31-2005, 01:25 AM

There is nothing wrong with your idea. Mostly it depends on how comfortable you are with your BR and if you can play well without thinking about the BR aspect. I play with a much smaller BR than most on these forums suggest & I have only had 1 reload at a poker site(thats from my online acct to a poker site, not a checking acct reload) in the last year. I play 10/20 frequently & maintain a stable 5K BR(which most say is way too small) & my standard 5/10 BR was 2-3K. If you are comfortable and feel you can play well regardless of your BR than taking a shot at a good looking table is not a bad thing. As long as you are willing to move down if your BR drops into danger ranges you will be fine.

therockofgibraltar · #4 08-31-2005, 01:50 AM

Is the 300BB rule valid in shorthanded??

helpmeout · #5 08-31-2005, 02:01 AM

Dont even think about it your roll is hardly big enough for the 3/6max game.

Just keep grinding away and then when you hit 5k think about making the jump.

Greenstein is talking about B&M where your game selection is limited. (His book is also aimed mainly at higher limit players so I wouldnt take too much out of it)

Online you have a lot of options so there will be enough juicy 3/6 games without having to look for higher games.

wackjob · #6 08-31-2005, 02:08 AM

Grinding to 5K at 3/6 might be right for some very timid players or players who have had BR issues in the past. A solid player is holding back too much hanging out at 3/6 until building a 5K BR. The 5/10 game is nearly as easy & for me easier than the 3/6 was once I got into the swing of it. A winning player should be taking a stab as soon as they feel comfortable. A player who can recognize when they are playing poorly or don't feel comfortable with their BR at a certain limit any more and can move back down can make the jump even sooner. After all, poker is GAMBLING, but so many of you sound like little old ninnies when you talk about BR & moving up. I don't recommend my personal BR limits to anyone, but waiting for 5K to play 5/10 is WEAK TIGHT to the MAX.

#7 08-31-2005, 02:33 AM

Isnt the variance for shorthanded supposed to be much higher than that of full games?

kidcolin · #8 08-31-2005, 02:38 AM

[ QUOTE ]
A winning player should be taking a stab as soon as they feel comfortable. A player who can recognize when they are playing poorly or don't feel comfortable with their BR at a certain limit any more and can move back down can make the jump even sooner.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you. I'm tired of reading all the "you will go broke with less than 500BB!" bs. As long as you play within your comfort zone and are willing to move down if you take a hit and can't afford another one, even if you're playing well, take the shot. Downswings happen, but they're not guaranteed to happen everytime you take a shot. You might even have an awesome upswing and be within real bankroll requirements within a week or two.

Though, rather than a 20BB shot, I'd rather wait and take a real shot at it. Say, 100BB. If you only sit with 20BB, that's not even a full buy-in. I'm more just concerned with you playing sub-optimally because you might think to yourself "well this is only a small shot so.." and take it less seriously than you should.

Stork · #9 08-31-2005, 03:08 AM

Thanks for all the replies; I personally think I am very good at not letting my bankroll or the limits affect my play so I still think I can play my A game if I move up. I don't think I will yet though, since as of now my online roll is unreplenishable. My initial plan was to wait until 4K and then take a 100BB shot and drop down if I go under 3K, but damn that next 2K seems alot farther away than the first 2. So I think I will stick with 3/6 until I have between 2500-3000, and take a shot sometime around then and leave myself with 2k to fall back on and play 3/6 with if things go bad.

helpmeout · #10 08-31-2005, 03:09 AM

Its not about you will go broke with 500BB.

For you newbies to 6max you will have a lot of large swings. A 300BB roll is not big enough to handle a 100BB in a day downswing.

The main reason is psychogically these swings are tough you have 3k in your roll and lose 1k in a day.

A winning player who'd taken a jump up to 3/6 wont take long to make 500BB for the next limit.

If you wanna take a shot and potentially lose a months worth of effort in a day be my guest.