So I just had a 1½-2 year break from poker
I was formerly a micro stakes regular winning around 3BB/100 at 5/Tc. I have no real interest in moving up I tried and I found out my nerves is not cut out for real money. Im content grinding micros where im comfortable. Well the dream was always 1/2 on stars but yeah ive had swings and rages im not proud of even though i never lost serious money. Im just happy and proud of having grinded $300 at 5/Tc ^^

Anyway my question is: In these harsh times of LHE where even 5/Tc tables have decreased at least 50% since 2015. (used to be like 10+ tables now 3 - 8 at best on stars) Is it possible to becoming a better player like if you start at 2/4c can you realistically move up to lets say 1/2+.. Ive looked around on sites like ps and other places and I literally found 0 study material on todays games.

thankfully my game from 2015 still works on 5/Tc phew. But LHE has really died down and since theres no real public study material is each player gone stuck in skill ? Like I see players that used to play 2/4 - 10/20 now playing 25/50c - 1/2 Granted that is because of less tables but still. Have the entire community become stagnant and stuck? Is there no chance for a player like me to study and become better and move up stakes? I realize with hard work and determination anything is possible. But for the average husband and father that has maybe 30 min - 1 hour to play a day. Is he doomed to be stuck at a limit?

Or are we better off trying new games like the spin n gos or plo? As I find tons of stuff on that. even by accident.

Assuming you are from outside US (row). As US player, I only played on Stars for 6 mos while travelling during last quarter of '15 and first quarter of '16 - right around the time you took your hiatus. I played very small amounts of $5/T-$30/60 and found the games unbeatable - and that was before Stars eliminated rb for stakes at 20/40 mix and above. I was usually the 3rd, 4th, or 5th best player in the 5/T games and pretty much always the 4th or 5th best player in the 15/30 and 30/60 games. Granted, it was less than 1500 hands of limit holdem and I'm not a crusher.

Instead, I played mix games and 2-7 td limit and found those games beatable at higher stakes. The biggest problem, if your quest is to win money, is that the reduction of rewards at the stakes you play, coupled w higher rake, makes the 5c/10c games close to unbeatable I'd think.

I wouldn't lament the lack of up-to-date study material available; not much has changed in strat from my pov. Balance, the mental game, game selection, seat scripting, and constant tinkering w improved exploits against other regs is still the important stuff for the crushers that can beat mid/high stakes on Stars and want to continue to be able to do so. At the micros you can prob play exactly the same way you used to, but due to the aforementioned factors, your WR will likely be chopped in half, best-case scenario. Worst case scenario is that no one at any 5c/10c table can make money over a reasonable sample.

If you have only 5-10 hrs week to devote to poker, I'd either spend time learning/playing PLO (also a raketrap at those stakes, but at least you have a chance to move up to stakes where you can turn a profit eventually in a format where there is some action), or play 8g, where the flhe play is not nearly as tough in straight flhe games at equivalent stakes.

Another option that might work best for you as a family man w a job that still wants to compete and win at flhe, even if the stakes aren't high, is to play on a site w US players, where the games will be much easier. ACR has occasional micro lhe games and bodog/ignition/pai wang luo network has micro lhe games if you live in a country that they accept. gl

its tough to overcome the trickle down effect. When world class players are playing 5/10 and 10/20 it basically forces everyone to move down to limits they can beat. While this doesn't mean people are going to be grinding micro stakes it does mean they will be playing some limits you aspire to move up towards, like $2/$4 making those games very tough to beat for new players.

There are just to many things to overcome: players are to good and the rake is to high (and be to low).

It's a tough environment to play catch up, but if you enjoy the game it's not really a big deal.

Yeah im from EU and happily grinding stars (.dk but shared pool with .com)

Yeah it seems that way. That unless you simply work 24/7 and is a genius to become a world class player you basically have no chance to move up.. I just finished a session where i saw a guy i know is a midstakes player from 2/4 - 5/T and now he plays 10/20c. Im not sure how to interpret that if it was just for fun or if he actually has moved so much down hes adding those tables.

Most hobbies cost people money. That you might have a hobby that is +EV (even if it's only $0.10/hour) already makes your hobby far more financially worth while than other options.

To put it another way, there are people who have worked their way up to being world class at whatever hobby they've picked up, but it probably cost them a lot more than time and effort to get there. (Most people have hobbies they suck at, but still enjoy it despite their suckiness.)

Play the best that you can. Learn as much as you can with the resources (time/mental effort) that's available to you. Enjoy what you choose to do with your free time.

There's no way he's playing those limits for profit. It's most likely that since the Stars lhe environment in particular looks like its suffered more than most segments, he's not playing to make 500 wk in profit or something like he could multi tabling 2/4-5/10 w previous rwards and more games they used to offer. I'd guess he/she has come to view online lhe as an enjoyable hobby that will either be slightly profitable or cost very little.

Sounds similar to your approach to the game and it's a solid approach imo. Playing online adds one more player to the pool, which helps bring in more players. So if you can have fun and maybe still make a few bucks when you run well and cost yourself very little when you run poorly, I'd keep my game sharp and hope that things improve. While playing/waiting for seat, checking out other games/formats when you have the client open may spur some interest.

Ignition has had a pretty good amount of ultra-micro FLHE recently. Great amount of 5 cent/10 cent