I've never seen a 2/4 NL game anywhere.

Venetian is currently running three 2/5 NL games. The other ones you mentioned don't have Bravo Live, so I can't check what they are currently spreading, but I'm willing to bet they all have 2/5 NL games.

I don't know where you're getting your information, but perhaps you are mistaken.

No, lol, I am not mistaken. I have been to all above mentioned casinos literally hundreds of times.

Might wanna check up on things before you go running your mouth.

I did. I checked Bravo.

You are dead wrong. 2/5 is the standard. Some places run 3/5, but without question 5 dollar big blind as the next step up from 1/2 live is the 99% standard, from NY to FL to Vegas to Washington. Even in Panama. I have never seen a 5 dollar big blind on any online site either. But I truly don't know if they exist.

Unless you're talking about 2/4 Limit, which I have seen in a few places, but it is usually 3/6.

2-4 no-limit hold 'em doesn't exist on the Las Vegas Strip. 2-5 is the game everywhere.

I do quarterly surveys of the poker rooms on the Strip and publish the results in the 2+2 Magazine.

Status of Las Vegas Poker, Autumn 2012

Here's the raw data for no-limit hold 'em games.

I think read this right...after 1/2NL the Borgata spreads a 2/5 NL. Nothing in between. There is usually about half the amount of 2/5 as 1/2.

I think you are talking about limit poker.

The borgata runs a regular 2/5 every night.

Here is the latest game report:

Okay, well let's not Hijack my thread to which i've not really even gotten an answer to my questions.. I don't understand why everyone seems to want to 'pick' a piece of my thread and disagree with it, rather than give answer's to the questions i'm asking.. I dont recall anywhere in my post dealing with the existence of 2/4 vs 2/5 games.. And Furthermore

I live in Ohio, All the Casino's Around me (Pittsburgh's The River's, Cleveland's The Horseshoe, and West Virginia's Mountaineer) are all 2/5..
So now that, that is cleared up. I have a Bankroll of roughly 2k. I have been playing poker nonstop for a little over 3 years, and i've read every book, forum, website and watched every video available. I spend every moment analyzing hands i've played, diagnosing at and away from the table's, I am extremely confident with my game, my level of skill and my abilities when i sit down at a 1/2 table. I expect to win, and not just win, but win big when i sit down. I have dealt HEAVILY with varience, as anyone who knows anything about poker, when you play under-rolled, like i've been, varience determines everything. For the first time in my life i'm actually decently rolled for 1/2 (I'm sure a lot of you will say that i'm extremely under-rolled for 1/2 with 2k of a bankroll) But, since i've had this bankroll, i have just been running hot, playing great, and building my confidence through the roof. Sure i could go on the sickest cooler of my life and lose 10 buy in's.. That's extremely unlikely, but possible. Perhaps my recent cooler has given me a false sense of confidence in my game, to an extent, but overall, the player's i play with are more gambler's than poker player's..

Basically the answer i'm looking for is this

Will i be more +EV in a 1/2 game or a 2/5 game with 2k bankroll(that's 5 buy in's at 2/5 in Cleveland of $400 (theres a $200 min $500 max)

The reason i want to move up so badly is because i know i'm crushing 1/2, i've been doing it for a long time, but just recently i've been really crushing because i have the bankroll behind, I've built up 1,000-1,500 before, but i always spent all of it and went back to broke really fast and it never lasted.
Which is my biggest fear of happening right now.

I dont want to keep playing 1/2, making like $300-$400 wins once or twice a week because i can easily blow that money shopping and buying **** or if some emergency happens like my car breas down and it costs 2k.. My bankroll is gone.

I know if i sit down at 2/5 and can go on a 3 or 4 session win streak, I can pocket 3-4 maybe 5 thousand, and then my bankroll is safe, no matter what, and playing poker full time will become reality.

Sure i've hit for 1,000$ a few times in a 1/2 game, actually i just won $970 last friday with a $180 buy in, and then another $400 just 2 days ago on saturday, in my 1/2 game

My last 20 sessions i've won 17/20 for a total of $4,500, my 3 losses added up to a total of -$600.

So this being said, obviously i'm running good, but nobody wins 17 out of 20 sessions for almost 5,000$ without PLAYING GOOD ALSO.

I'm not asking if you believe that i'm crushing 1/2, and if i've had enough hands played to really diagnose that.. I know that i can beat 1/2, there's no question about that..

So all that really remains is, can i also beat 2/5 just as easy? If that's a yes.. Then i should take my shot.. If the answer is no, 2/5 is a much tighter game, with MUCH better opponents, and 5 buy in's will leave you broke in a month.. Then i will continue to grind 1/2.. and how many buy in's do you think is the MIN i should have before i attempt a 2/5? 10 buyin's ? 15? I really think that 20 buy in's is a bit excessive.. I've never lost more than 5 or 6 sessions in a row in my entire life.. And that was the worst cooler's i've ever expereinced, and it only happened twice before that i've lost 5 in a row.. Over the course of the past 2 years, i'd definitely say my win ratio to loss ratio is at least 3:1 probably more like 4:1, i'm a very consistent winner in 1/2.

Your question has already been answered multiple times in this thread.

You have answered your own question. You have BR management problems. I don't doubt that you can beat the 2/5 game. You stated you play much better when you have multiple BI's at 1/2. When you lost one you could rebuy, turn those sessions into winners. Guess what, you don't have that ability if you go to 2/5. You will be playing one and done again like when you first started at 1/2.. Personally I would wait till you have a BR of 5k before taking shots. This will give you a little flexability and not hurt you so much if you lose 2 BI. This game is about patience, right now you don't seem to have any.

I have played a lot of live poker over the years from 1/2NL all the way to 10/25NL. In my view there are significant differences, on average. Each step increase from 1/2 to 1/3 to 2/5 to 5/10 to 10/25 is quite significant. The jump from 1/2 to 2/5 is as big as is the one from 2/5 to 5/10. Sometimes there is significant overlap between one pool and the other and sometimes a 1/2 game will play like a 2/5 game and vice versa. Also watch out from how deep the players are playing. 2/5 with 300 stacks is different from 2/5 with 1500 stacks.

Best suggestion is to stick with 1/2 and periodically take shots at 2/5 (with shorter buy-in). You need to learn how to play a "mid-stacking strategy" of 50BB. It's not as sexy as 200BB, but it lets you sit at the table. I do this with bigger PLO games because I do not have a great feel for the game and just enjoy sitting in the big game and watching. Peddle the nuts if you have to, but sit and watch for a while. Always remember the blinds in this game are not that expensive.

And by the way, you are way unrolled. If you can get in an unraked home game with 1/3 blinds it might the best midpoint. Always be working on developing you poker network. Depending on where you live, there are always unraked games, but developing the network takes work. Plus you have to deal with more politics than you do at the casino where it is all above +ev for the day.

it is usually 3/6.

my casino would never let u dodge a must move then sit back down maybe 24 hrs later ,but never o im up 700 ill play 1 / 2 for an hour then jump back on 2/5 with a 300 dollar short buy in. yes its a smaller casino but regs wont have it.

wtf play 2-5 with 2k bankroll? I had few nights where I lost 4-5k 2-5 in one night.

Most poker coaches I've talked to recommend moving up in stakes to any player that is under-rolled in a game.

Several people who have given you honest answers have told you that you don't have the role yet for 2/5. You said you understand variance, but it doesn't sound like you've never experienced the worst of it.

Your role is roughly $2k. You can still easily lose that over a stretch on 1/2 while playing +ev poker against bad players.

You need to develop a system of bankroll management to build your poker role. I suggest you download an app to record your sessions (session length/results/etc..) And develop a system by which a certain percentage of each winning session becomes part of your role and doesn't get spent outside the poker room.

As for what you can expect at 2/5, a larger percentage of the players you'll be playing against will be thinking players. As mentioned, you'll see more creative moves and more players who understand what you're trying to do. But beyond that, it varies so much from session to session that it's difficult to answer. Last Saturday, I lost to a gambler who pushed all-in preflop with Q2offsuit for $300 and spiked two deuces on the flop.

A friend of mine is in the same situation as you, there are some definite advantages to moving up, like the rake (as casinos) is easier to overcome and the profits can be greater. You are at a level when a few buy in's can devastate your bankroll. If you have another form of income it would be easier for you to take more aggressive shots. Be cautious, and like alot of others said, you might want to grind up your roll a bit more before moving up.

Dude you are crushing 1-2 and you have a 2k bankroll. Nothing can stop you. Let's be real, 5 80bb stacks is bankroll overkill. Skip 2-5, play 5-10 instead. GL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People are answering; however, maybe this will clear it up for you. In a 2/5 game if you raise 8x UTG with AA, there is still a strong chance you will get 5 callers behind you, and there range will be anywhere from 23ss, 47ss, J2off, etc. So no, the player pool does not get better as you move up the latter. It's totally table and player dependent. If you think that you're a "thinking player" you will have an advantage obviously; however, I guess you'll see what you're made of playing with 4 bullets.

My question was never if i was properly rolled for 2/5 -- not sure why that keeps coming into play, I already stated i'm not properly rolled for 1/2 -- That doesn't mean i cannot continuously crush 1/2 games.. It just means i have a much large chance of going bust.. The reason i'm crushing 1/2 games and never building a roll is because i'm spending faster than i'm winning.. Crushing 1/2 games aint gon make u a millionaire, I can easily spend that money -- Hence my problem .. My question was the difference in 'skilled' or 'thinking player's from 1/2 or 1/3 to 2/5 -- in my 1/2 games i may have 1 or 2 'semi-skilled' player's.. -- I guess my question has way too many variables to get the answer i'm looking for.. Perhaps i'm just best taking my shots and gaining the experience...

you can win a lot at 2/5 also lose a lot! good luck man

Play 1-2 until you build up at least 10,000 dollars...preferably 20,000+

If you drop below 6000, go back to 1-2


Quit spending your damn poker money.


/thread

this is so lol. Stop spending all your frikin money. Yes, you will be able to beat 2/5 in the long run. However, it's probly over 50% that you'll go broke first.

just take shots and run good. it works every time!