Moving to 1000 Pot Limit

[Jorge10]

Ive been building a bankroll at the lower levels and have been thinking of moving up to the 1000 Pot Limit High Low level at party poker. The one with 10 dollar blinds and a max buy of 1000. I was wondering if you guys had any advice, such as how much to buy in for, is the whole 1000 a good idea?, what type of players can I expect to encounter? etc. From what I have seen it seems that unlike the bad players in the lower levels the ones in these games are ultra aggressive and will bet pot with any flop if they are in the hand regardless of how dead they might be. I saw a few bad players make pot bets with just top pair and no draw or nothing. So I was thinking of not raising as much and trying to keep pot small so that I dont have to commit large amounts of chips on the flop when the flop comes say 4c/5c/q and I got ac/2c, but rather wait for the turn to make moves as by then ill know what im up against and wether its worth a call or not. I am not really certain how to go about playing at this level however, so im not sure what the best strategy is, just some random thoughts I was having.

[Ironman]

Jorge,

One small piece of advice (in life in general...but applies specifically to poker): You need to have a specific plan of attack.

You say in your last statement, "I am not really certain how to go about playing at this level...."

Rest assured, most/many of the players sitting at the 1000 PL O8 table do have a strategy for playing this game and if it is aggressive, will not let you wait for the turn and river before making pot sized bets.

But with that said, if I were going to jump into ANY new level, I would set my Pokertracker and watch for awhile. See how aggressive people are, what tactics are working...who are the better players that you want to stay away from.

Down at 1/2 there are thousands of players to keep track of. At 1000 PL, I can't imagine there are more than a couple dozen.

Good luck.

[Wintermute]

Actually, there are a few hundred folks playing at the $1000 level. However, I agree that you should datamine the tables with PT before you play. Mainly this will help you identify the preflop tendencies as well as the overall win/loss rate of the frequent players. There are definitely some players you should avoid, because not only do they win consistently, but they are very loose/aggressive.

As for main differences, I haven't seen much of a difference other than the quality of play is slightly better, with a handful of very good players to watch out for. The most significant difference, for me, is that the games are usually completely full--that is, it's much harder to get a shorthanded game at the $1000 level, which is what I happen to prefer. I think mainly as a result of this, my winrate (BB/100 hands) at the $1000 level is less than half of my BB/100 winrate at the $600 level.

It's not uncommon to see the weaker players buy in for the table minimum ($200) or some small amount like that. But generally I'd say if you can handle the variance (and have at least 30 buyins in your BR), buy in for the full $1000. Just be ready for some $1000 losses in situations where you have a great advantage when the money goes in, just as you have experienced from time to time at lower levels. Also, I would not play exclusively at the $1000 tables when you make your switch. I'd play one $400, one $600, and one $1000 at a time.

Finally, I would definitely suggest that you DO NOT change your playing style. Don't feel like you can't raise as much preflop. It's a mistake to price in weaker hands, and you know it. Just play the game that got you that bankroll, and you'll be fine. The $1000 game is different psychologically to a much greater degree than it is different in terms of average player skill--keep that in mind, and I am certain you will have continued success there. Good luck!

[Cleveland Guy]

I haven't moved up to a limit this high - but from moving up smaller limits this is my advice.

1. Buy in for a full buy in. If you can't - your not ready for the game yet

2. Make your standard raises when you raise - if you are raising small, and acting timid - the regular players will pick up on this and bluff you off pots that should be yours.

a pot bet on the turn might look huge to you - but it's a number they are used to seeing, so don't bet 1/2 pot when you should be betting pot, cause the dollars look so big.

Also - don't go the other way, and think - wow that's a big bet, I'd never call it. Cause to them it's a normal sized bet.