I have only ever played 2/4 live. My goal is to get to 5/5 ($700 bi) and make it there with 30 bi's of profit ($21k profit). I'm about half way there.
I have a decent win rate at about $30-35 per hour playing 3 nights per week (I keep detailed records)

However I have been playing about break even for close to 2 months (well a very tiny profit) and I'm thinking a good solution is perhaps to step down to 1/3 and get some confidence back. I have never played 1/3 only 2/4.

My question is; is it a good idea? The max bi for 1/3 is $200 and I have a strict stop-loss of $800. I'm afraid I might get too spewy in a smaller game rather than sticking to mostly TAG and being about the tightest player in most tables.

Anyone have any experience/advice?

Cheers

If you want to keep moving up, I think you shoudl become comfortable with being less tight. You're gonna have to gamble and mix it up in some high variance spots because +EV will be at a premium as the player pools get better.

So dropping down to 1/3 to practice those skills would be a good idea. Not so much for the confidence aspect, but simply because the learning curve will be cheaper.

A $200 cap kinda blows though. You'll be playing mechanically so much, you probably won't get much benefit, other than maybe that confidence factor you were looking for. You won't get better at poker.

If you think you will play spewy, which in turn could cause you to lose a ton, then I don't think it would be a good idea. If you think you can play solid poker and think 1/3 will help your game confidence then go for it.

I dont think there will be a huge difference in skill level or size of the game though. Should be fairly similar. If you are breakingeven at 2/4 for a stretch keep playing through it. It will happen. It's why you have a bankroll. If you are playing break even poker then you need to do a bit more studying. It will take some self reflection too. Some people can't tell the difference between breaking even and playing break even.

This sounds like you will be able to answer the question better than anyone else.

You bring up some good points and I agree about getting comfortable playing looser, and that the $200 buy in sucks.

It's also ironic that in order to help me move up to 5/5, moving down to 1/3 to practice some things may help a fair bit.

Of course, the player pool will be more fishy compared to 2/4.....

I think some of this break even run is down to just not getting dealt good cards compared to average, and just not hitting with anything (ie; a 6 hour session the best I was dealt was AQ once and AK that I had to fold preflop.....long story).

But it's affecting my game because after such long stretches of not getting dealt cards or missing, I tend to tilt a little and not play so well. This has only been a problem maybe the last month or less.

I'm hoping to just get out of this habit, and get out of this break even run at lower stakes (and as above, I could learn a few things too maybe)

You don't have a stake issue. You have a mental issue. I think dropping down to 1/3 to fix a mental issue that isn't stake related could screw you up even more. How many hours do you have logged?

This year around 350 hours and just over 10k profit. I haven't had a losing month yet and lately being break even I feel has made me play worse or question myself.

BTW I just started playing LIVE in December but played online a couple of years building up from 10nl to my peak at 100nl games (6max).
I quickly developed good bankroll management and stop-loss. I think that's a huge difference in a winning player (even just between 10nl-100nl online and 400nl live)

.

Do not move down. That game has a bad cap and the rake and tip will eat in to profit more severely.

Only reason to move down would be for a short while to get confidence back or something. Or if financially the higher limit is too risky.

If it's financially feasible you want to play the 2/4 or 5/5 game.

Also that break even stretch is only like 120 hrsish or so? Not unheard of at all.

Also you can't tilt man. Tilt just kills winrates like crazy. Winrate is 30/hr or whatever and then tilt comes along and we punt off 200bbs for god knows what reason. Thats 20 hrs work just obliterated. Heart breaking.

Hey I recently discovered in a live 1/2 game that you don't always need to play tight to win. The idea sounds correct but the action of doing it is more difficult then it actually seems. I recently have been challenging myself to play with better players on week days early in the morning when the regular's or grinders get there which I'm not one of those people just (realistically). My advice to you is to try the early mornings when the grinders go to work since you have the bankroll for it. TAG style will work in these situations as I have been winning more percentages of pots every I learn something from these very skilled players. I'm still talking about 1/2 NL. I'm still very much an amateur and not a professional as I do have poor bankroll skills and can use some help with getting started. I play TPP most of the time because often times I'm playing with LAG players and I feel its okay to check and let them do the betting for me so I can show the story on the show down. After winning some pots a few weeks ago some of the same people have seen me there since and I haven't won any pots because every time I get into a hand they already know im playing tight and they fold to a $6 raise most of the time in 1/2 and when I do get to see a flop here and there often times it's low cards and I have to assume LAG has something already. Now my mission is to start playing some similar hands I have seen them play recently and just journey into the realm of how far my range can reach. I put in a lot of study time both at the tables and internet and I do not feel to much stress about how small my bankroll is. I know when I lose a pot that I instantly play the hand back through my head as it should have happened and I correct myself for next time. I could benefit from a player in the same situation as me to collaborate on some hands and trade skills and such. Let me know if your interested and also as reply to this post Help me out please if you understand where I'm at in the poker world.

So 2 months of rec hours breakeven, which is what, like ~60 hours?

60 hours is like literally nothing. Nothing.

Course, it's totally up to you how you want to begin to deal with your mental state, so if dropping down to 1/3 NL will help that, then go for it. But also realize that anything can happen over the next lol 60 hours at 1/3 NL too, so you're just as likely to breakeven there too.

G60hoursiszilchG