1/2 Is there a huge difference in play?

[flyangler]

I have moved up to 1/2 recently and I find it to be about the same as .5/1, just as many bad players and just as many bad beats. The funny thing is that I am actually winning more money (almost 20 BB/100 after 1000 hands) at 1/2. I think the Tight Aggressive model works better as you climb the lower limits because your pots will be bigger.
Strategy? Play tighter preflop.

50/1 to 1/2 is a decent difference. I think at 1/2 its harder to read opponents hands, and they are often more aggressive at this level. You might need to tighten up a little at the 1/2 because at 50/1 u can get away with a lot.
Also, mentality is a lot, if you dont think you can beat it, you wont, subconciously the decsions you make somehow involve that thought...
It may sound dumb, but tighten up, be positive, and drift between the 2 for a while to hold ur roll steady until ur killing the 1/2 game.
cdl

[irishpint]

if you've really been beating .50/1 for 8BB over 10,000 hands that makes your BR $800 or more- go to 1/2 and tough it out, you have the $ to survive there, no doubt.

[Hellmouth]

[ QUOTE ]
I have moved up to 1/2 recently and I find it to be about the same as .5/1, just as many bad players and just as many bad beats. The funny thing is that I am actually winning more money (almost 20 BB/100 after 1000 hands) at 1/2. I think the Tight Aggressive model works better as you climb the lower limits because your pots will be bigger.
Strategy? Play tighter preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, tightening up is actually how I got to killing .50/1. I'm using the preflop strategy from GSIH which is actually tighter than the SSHE tight strategy.

This is definately good advice though. My VPIP is around 18.5%. At 1/2 it is actually slightly higher. But my win at showdown is like 35% instead of 50% at .50/1. I think I might partly be running bad. I hadnt realized my w@sd was so low until just now.

Greg

[bottomset]

I feel tempted to go back down there sometime and see how the game actually is

I know that the 1/2 6max game is still great, but I haven't played 1/2 full since December

its a little different style that you need to be sucessful, I doubt you have to really tighten up, but rather look for different situations to take advantage of

every level as you move up has more raising, and trickier opponents, its something you will all need to get comfortable with

[tiltaholic]

general thought:

if you are currently a proficient .5/1 player the best way to gain confidence w/your move to 1/2, short of playing 10k hands yourself is to have another person sweat one of your sessions. PM someone (ie. me) or put your name on the AIM name thread and IM them if you see they are online.

[HentaiGaijin]

I'm at just about my 5000th hand in 1/2. It's been a rough ride. My winnings graph looks like a roller coaster. Just two days ago I was up 50 BB within an hour as a rush saw every hand hit and hold up. Then I dropped back down after a couple more hours (due to bad decisions). My bankroll is ~$630.

I think 1/2 really requires you to start identifying your leaks. Some of my leaks that I've noticed:

- When I get sucked out on for a large beat, I loosen up. Last night I was nailed by the river on a $40 pot where my opponent had few outs. I felt my face flush and the anger rise, but I recognized it and turned it off. I thought "just focus on the next hand." So managing my tilt level is an important improvement.

- I play too many tables. The down times get boring and so I pop open an extra table. I can pay attention to the action with four tables, but I know I make some bad decisions. There is little time for doing real situational analysis when you've got four tables open. I think I need to cut back. Four tabling 1/2 is different from .5/1, because of the size of the variance relative to the bankroll.

- Not giving the maniac credit when I'm weak. I love to push back on a maniac when I'm strong, but sometimes (particularly right after a win) I push back on a maniac when I'm weak. Maniacs get hands too. It only takes a few badly played $6 hands to wipe out your winnings when you play well.

Downswings are rough, but they get easier as you realize that 1) they are unavoidable, although mitigatable and 2) rushes exist also. My largest downswing at 1/2 is ~130BB. That's $260. I'm currently down 80BB. That $260 slide had me thinking (yet again) that I should quit. As I started to move up and weather additional variance, I realized that it was only appropriate: the combination of my lack of attentive play, new level with slightly harder opponents, and natural variance exacerbated my initial plunge. The cost of learning.

Here are a couple things to think about if you are a highly wired player (by wired, I mean hyperactive):

- Don't pop open your poker graph after every big win or loss.
- Don't pop open your cashier window to see how you're doing.
- Minimize GameTime+ and don't pay attention at your own table win/loss rate, unless you are evaluating moving to a new table.

In other words, don't agonize about the small hand-to-hand, hour-to-hour fluctuations in your bankroll. Up until recently, I did this constantly. It influenced my mood and, as a result, the level of my aggression. I think a lot of players do it and I now think it is a really, really bad habit.

The reason people say "don't move up until you have 300 times the BB" is because you NEED that money to cover the cost of learning and the potential card freeze + bad play. You need to be able to drop 100 or more BB and still have enough money that the question "should I drop down or keep going" is meaningful and not academic.

I'm a total newb at this, but I do think my play is improving and, more importantly, my awareness of my bad play is improving.

[UATrewqaz]

I was beating .5/1 for 4BB/100 over 10K, moved up and have been beating 1/2 for 3.7BB/100 over the past 6K hands (small but good results).


1/2 has plenty of idiots but many less tables, you must use better table selection skills at 1/2. You typically have less people seeing flops but the quality of the play is roughly the same as .5/1 if you make an effor to find a good table.

I stick to the full and 9 max tables, I'm not a good 6 max player yet.

[Saint_D]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont want this to turn into a bitching session but Ive been getting killed at 1/2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to the club buddy. July is my "move-up-to 1/2" month. So far I am taking a beating. I have been taking several 2 day breaks from poker. I also dropped down to .5/1 for a few sessions to feel better.

This thread is making me feel a lot better. I am about to launch another session and see if I can power through this transition.


My stats stats look good, but my WSD is 30%. I expect it to be closer to 50. I see people making terrible mistakes all the time, they just don't seem to make them against me too much. My aggression is in the 2+2 target zone. Does anyone feel like they should done it down from .5/1 to 1/2? Maybe my aggression is scaring people off and making them play better against me.


Good Luck Bro. Good luck to us all.

update: off to a roaring -15BB start. I went up fast but the river is getting its revenge in a serious way.

[beaster]

[ QUOTE ]

- Don't pop open your poker graph after every big win or loss.
- Don't pop open your cashier window to see how you're doing.


[/ QUOTE ]

YES YES YES. I'm still new to this game too, but results-oriented thinking will be your downfall. Do not judge yourself on a small set of winning or losing sessions. Don't beat yourself up if you went on a 100BB downswing (but be aware of it). Adapt and continue studying your poker books.