Movin' on up....?

[Iron Tigran]

First post.

I have been playing online hold 'em (and a tiny bit of 7-stud and Crazy Pine) for several months. I started at Planet and moved to UB. In the past 6 weeks or so since joining UB, I have tripled my buy-in (from $50 - $150) playing .25/.50 ring games and some 6 and 10-man $5+.50 SnG tourneys.

My question is, am I going to see a marked improvement in opposition if I jump up to .50/1 and/or $10 SnG? Naturally, if i could achieve the same win rate at a higher level, I'd like to move up.

I am not a good player, but I am able to take the truly awful for pretty good wins. Where do the decent players start showing up? 1/2? 3/6?

As for what I am doing to improve, I have a few poker books (which I gaze at lovingly as they sit, untouched, on my bookshelf) but I mainly play and discuss stuff I see with a friend. I am enjoying reading Brunson's new (re-titled) book.

Thanksfor any help/advice!

--IT

[Webster]

They start getting better at the 5/10 range maebae a litle at 3/6 but not that much.

[DeuceKicker]

I think you'll see an improvement each level, though the difference is very small. At 2/4 you'll still see a few very bad players, but you'll also start to see very solid players who make few mistakes (and can take advantage of yours.)

As far as tournaments are concerned, I don't think there's a difference between 5 and 10 SnGs, but I only played one $5 before moving up.

Your biggest issue is bankroll. Even if you can beat the larger limits, you'll still have swings. A 1,000 hand drought (they happen) can eat up your $150 in a heartbeat.

[WillMagic]

Um....make sure you get

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones and
Theory of Poker by David Sklansky

and read them, and study them...and reread them...etc.

The competition doesn't get any tougher at 1/2...it's still quite bad. Same with 10$ SnG's...but you shouldn't move up until your bankroll is prepared for it.

But, if you really want to get good, read the books and post hands you have trouble with. Follow the lead of other posters.

Have fun and good luck.

Will

[Iron Tigran]

I have the Jones book, as well as one of Krieger's Hold 'em Excellence books. I have heard The Theory of Poker is the standard text these days.

Thanks for the insight.

--IT

[Sleepy Weasel]

[ QUOTE ]
The competition doesn't get any tougher at 1/2...it's still quite bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just recently moved up from .5/1 to 1/2 (though at Party). You're right, the competition is still quite bad at 1/2, but I have noticed more aggressive players. Its still possible to find tables where the hand is checked through all the way to showdown, but I've found more players willing to fling some chips around at 1/2 than at .5/1.

[Webster]

IN the past year because of bank roll I went from .50/1 to 1/2 to 2/4 and dabbeled in 3/6 and it's all the say.

1/2 is actually a little harder then 2/4 and 3/6 is more lile 1/2. .5/1 and 2/4 are basically exactly the same.

It's the bankroll that you have to have and at every level you have to remember that losses are larger but wins are larger also. It's a mind game moving up but the play is the same.

[scotnt73]

i started playing 2/4 last week and won 450$ for the week my best week ever!. however i was at a VERY good table last night with 4 fish who played every hand and just could not catch a hand. the few i did catch usually got out drawn. i lost 130$ in 4 hours my largest single loss to date! this is not a bad beat story though because this kind of night is unusual but they do happen every now and then. i saw 21% of the flops and won 7% of the flops i saw. so you can see what kind of night it was. I slept like a baby knowing that i had played well.