New $5+.50 player

[2Fast2Furious]

I'm pretty new too but think playing the smaller tournaments like you and I seem to be doing (like the $1 + 0 or $2 + 0 on Party) is a good introduction and gives you experience in later stages of tourneys for low risk. However, in the long run I think it isn't necessarily all that good for your game (although it does give you time to play very tight for long periods of time due to blind structure). Not sure how it works on Stars but I regularly play for like 4 hours in these Party tourneys and finish in the money (221 or lower) - level of play is pretty bad until the way later stages, so generally I feel I'm not learning anything other than how to play tight early on and survive.

Anyway, I'm down about $75 so far (bankroll not an issue, for now!!) so I think variance can easily eat through your small bankroll even at the 5+1s. E.g. I played 6 STT's saturday monrning 2-tabling (to be able to focus and improve my game better) and finished 1st twice and 3rd once, then last night I played 5, had a couple bad beats and did a couple things wrong and only got 1 3rd.

One thing i have to keep reminding myself early on is to really make sure you're actually playing tight. I can't tell you how many times I thought about playing stuff like A-9 suited and KQo in early-mid position like it was a good hand. I know in later stages this is ok, but the couple times I did it got burned (even when 5-6 handed). So AJo needs to get thrown away early on as you're usually dominated and it won't hold up (but maybe I'm too weak tight).

AJo is an easy muck in levels 1-3. I've even comtemplated mucking AQo, but I figured I was facing players who would limp/raise any ace/king. The 5's are incredibly loose.

[2Fast2Furious]

Agree completely, but got beaten 2x last night with QQs with AJ so the loose players will definitely call your all-in bet with it (and practically anything else, including J9o last night!). Once hit my 3rd queen when all in early and he made straight on river when a 10 came and the other I had KKs and he made trips on the river. ughhhhhh

Early on I muck AQo facing big raises and almost always limp in early position and call mini-raises.

I played 4 $5's last night, 2 OOTM, 1 2nd, 1 3rd. Best donk was guy that called my push with A4 on a board of 46Q rainbow. My push was 2x the pot, but I took the advice given earlier in this thread, and it worked beautifully. I flipped KK to knock him out and double up on the 2nd hand.