Moving from $25 to $50, is it worth it?

directscooter · #1 12-06-2005, 11:35 AM

I am no expert, I played along time on bodog, then came to one of the big sites a few months ago, and started at NL50, and got beat down a little. Moved back down to NL25 learned what I needed to, (see below) and as the BR increased (also adding in RB) I am now up to NL200 in about 4 months.
I play about 20-25 hours a week when possible and I am not great player. At NL25 my win rate was only like 7PTBB, at NL50 it was 7PTBB as well, at NL100 it was only 4PTBB but I continue to move up..why? Because 3PTBB/100 at 100 hours per month 5 tabling plus RB at NL200 would be over 50k per year (that is actually a low estimate) and I can guarentee my poker skills are nothing great, but they are getting much better, playing against better competition and continuing to read this board. And when I get my BR up to the next level, I will move up again...

As for what you need to do differently when moving up. At NL25 and to a lesser extent at NL50 you can just about play all your big pocket pairs to the end just trying to get all your money in where ever you can, but you need to start thinking a little more about what the guys have when they play back at you. Fold to reraises that could easily be sets etc. At 50 and 100, I made so much of my winnings off of sets, and when you get in trouble is when you go too far with the one paired hands. At NL200 so far, I have seen my sets getting paid off much less (could be the small sample size) and my big pocket pairs being challenged a lot more, by good and bad hands.
Hope this helps a little.

beavens · #2 12-06-2005, 11:58 AM

i recently moved from Party 25NL to 50NL and i'm not see much of a difference.. yeah there are a few tightys, but there are also plenty of those loose 50+%VPIPers.. both can be beat - just have to adapt to the tables.

i would never stay at a lower limit if i had the roll to try out a higher one. if youre getting beat up, move back down and settle yourself out.

take the shot!!

#3 12-06-2005, 12:53 PM

Yeah, I'm just worried when nut peddling will become ineffective. You can do it at 25NL and no one will ever catch on. Also I'm not one for continuation bets (scared to bluff mostly), and I'm even fairly cautious with missed flop bets (in low limit many times there's a multiway raised pot), which I assume you have to do more as the limits become more aggressive. Nonetheless, I shall learn, and will take your advice and move up.

beavens · #4 12-06-2005, 12:57 PM

oh man.. you cannot be afraid of continuation bets - cb's in position are a very powerful thing.

i make a decent chunk cb'ing missed flops and take the pot down right there. if they call or raise then you either need to reevaluate your situation on the turn or fold to the raise.

please please PLEASE reconsider this part of your game!

any others feel free to jump in, but i think cb'ing is an extremely powerful weapon.

Fallen Hero · #5 12-06-2005, 01:08 PM

[ QUOTE ]
oh man.. you cannot be afraid of continuation bets - cb's in position are a very powerful thing.

i make a decent chunk cb'ing missed flops and take the pot down right there. if they call or raise then you either need to reevaluate your situation on the turn or fold to the raise.

please please PLEASE reconsider this part of your game!

any others feel free to jump in, but i think cb'ing is an extremely powerful weapon.

[/ QUOTE ]

i can't tell you how much i agree with this

#6 12-06-2005, 01:33 PM

I agree, this is also why I am hesitant. I just always seem to find myself bluffing at the wrong time, so I don't do it so much anymore (and I really don't need to at 25NL, and it may even be -EV cuz they call so much). But yeah that's one thing I know I have to work on.

Fallen Hero · #7 12-06-2005, 02:00 PM

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I agree, this is also why I am hesitant. I just always seem to find myself bluffing at the wrong time, so I don't do it so much anymore (and I really don't need to at 25NL, and it may even be -EV cuz they call so much). But yeah that's one thing I know I have to work on.

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don't look at it as bluffing, when making a continuation bet you're most likely just protecting what is the best hand.

nyc999 · #8 12-06-2005, 12:59 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I'm just worried when nut peddling will become ineffective. You can do it at 25NL and no one will ever catch on. Also I'm not one for continuation bets (scared to bluff mostly), and I'm even fairly cautious with missed flop bets (in low limit many times there's a multiway raised pot), which I assume you have to do more as the limits become more aggressive. Nonetheless, I shall learn, and will take your advice and move up.

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Based on this, maybe you should stay at $25 for a while and experiment with c-betting -- it's a very important part of NL. Although I play $25 myself, I think it must be a very necessary tool if you are going to move up.