General discussion of $0.50-$1 vs. $1-$2

[cdxx]

yeah, the psychological mindset of not thinking about a $4 re-raise is pretty tough to adjust to, but if you can do it on 1/2, you can learn to do it on 2/4.

[Zeiros]

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it is a worthwhile topic, but discussed to death every month or so. try searching around a bit. in particular, search the ML archives for "+blood +sweat +tears" by dfscott.

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It took me a while to find the right thread so I'll save everybody else the job:

The PP 1/2 blood, sweat and tears thread

[Cosimo]

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it is a worthwhile topic, but discussed to death every month or so. try searching around a bit. in particular, search the ML archives for "+blood +sweat +tears" by dfscott. that when i was moving up. there have been others since then too.

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dfscott's post and the thread it spawned.

[AASooted]

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At .5/1 if I bought in with $25 and got down to $15 after being sucked out on, I knew that I could get back to $25 just waiting it out. At 1/2 I would buy in at $50 and get down to $30 and it felt like so much more money when accually it was the same rate as .5/1. Once I got over that I began to win b/c I quit worrying about how much I was losing during a session.

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I just started playing 1/2 this weekend, and I'm having this exact problem. I really need to start thinking in terms of bets and not dollars. I didn't realize I was doing it so much at .5/1 since they were the same.

I haven't played very many hands, but so far the level of competition doesn't seem that much better. I'm not winning at the rate I was, but I have a ridiculously small sample size, so I'm not worried about it yet. I don't have much trouble finding tables with 2-5 people with VP$IP over 30% ( > 50% in many cases). I'm still seeing guys call all the way to the river hoping for that miracle card and then calling on the river in case I've been bluffing all the way.

I still have a LOT to learn about the game -- I don't feel like I know a fraction of what I need to know -- but compared to the average Party player I feel like a genius most of the time. That may change as I get more time at 1/2, but I like my chances right now.

[webgator]

I have dabbled a little playing 1/2 recently as I feel mentally my game is well enough to move out of the .50/1. On the Party skins I have found the two levels play the same, ie you will still hit cold streaks, some people will still get lucky, etc.

The biggest thing is exactly what has been stated...overcoming the $$$ factor when betting. This I believe is covered in a few books, and mentally can be very challenging for some.

I have noticed the suckouts are far less, probably because of the $$$ factor.

Also, bonus' clear much faster at 1/2! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[PygmyHero]

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It took me a while to find the right thread so I'll save everybody else the job:

The PP 1/2 blood, sweat and tears thread

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Thanks for posting the link. I spent some time looking for it earlier today, to no avail.

[PygmyHero]

I have been trying to transition to $1-$2, having put in over 16,000 hands at $0.50-$1, and have already played over 11,000 hands at $1-$2. I'm very pleased with my win rate at $0.50-$1 but my win rate for $1-$2 is significantly lower (in BB/100 of course). In fact, it is only recently that it has been decisevly in the black.

I had a session the other day that got me thinking about the difference between the two limits. I was wondering if I was playing differently and whether or not my 'average' opponenet played differently. So I started going through my records with that focus in mind.

Here are some things I observed about $0.50-$1:
[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]I see a much higher percentage of the flops. This is probably due to the fact that there are fewer PFRs, so you can get away with limping (i.e. small pair in EP).
[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]I was more likely to be on a draw. Again, this seems to be related to playing more hands PF.
[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]I was more likely to hit a draw (as a percentage of the times when I was drawing). This seems to be because players at that limit don't bet / raise often enough to force draws out.
[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]Streets are much more likely to be checked around. As a result I won some hands where I hit a miracle card on the turn or river.
[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]I was much more likely to get paid off HUGE (like getting in a check raise and still getting called down, or having an opponent make a mistake about what the nuts are and capping a street or two).

Some observations about $1-$2:
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]My PF hand selection was MUCH tighter, especially with a raise in front.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I attempted some PF steals, something I don't do at all in $0.50-$1.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I was much more likely to bet a ragged flop that missed me, especially if I was the PF aggressor.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I would bluff, on occasion.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I very rarely slow played.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I laid down some good hands.
[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]I took fewer bad beats - some of the hands that would have drawn out were presumably folded before showdown.

I would be interested to hear what people think of the adjustments I made in moving up, especially if they have done it themselves. Are there some other strategies I am missing?

My thought right now is that the last two points I made about $0.50-$1 might comprise a large portion of my winnings - basically that an opponent makes a mistake and I capitalize. I feel like these mistakes are fewer at $1-$2 and that my opponents are generally less inclined to pay me off.