Feel free to move if this isn’t the appropriate place. 1/2 grinder with around 200 hours the last 2 years averaging 11bb/hr. I have no regular nearby access to 2/5 where I’m at but will be in a position to log some time at 2/5 this weekend. Bankroll is in good enough shape that 2 bi won’t make or break me. Just looking for I guess a primer of things I don’t see or see much of at 1/2 that I’ll see or see more of at 2/5 and the converse of things I won’t see or will see a lot less of at 2/5. Also should I consider buying in short to get my feet wet or just go full out? Any other advice appreciated.

I'm primarily a 1/2 player due to game availability, but have taken some 2/5 shots on my trips to Vegas. In the games I played it was just a taggier 1/2 game. There is a bit more 3-betting, more bluffing, and less of the braindead stupidity you see at 1/2. My main adjustments were:

-Widening my 3-bet ranges, and mixing in some bluffs (mostly weak suited aces).
-Opening up my bluff range as a default, as there are fewer calling stations.
-Bluff catch a bit more when the spots allow.

You can probably still do OK in most 2/5 games with a textbook TAG strategy, but if the opponents are tougher they might start to run you over. That's the other thing, you're more likely to find yourself at a tough table. Even "bad" 1/2 tables tend to be fairly passive, but the aggression at tough 2/5 tables is going to be higher.

Depends what area as 2/5 games can vary wildly. But generally a lot of the same principles apply. Just play good solid ranges pf and play your position. Adjust based on how your villain's are playing. You should have a concrete plan on how you will exploit each player.

If you can't identify any mistakes villains are making that you can exploit, then pick up and change tables.

If the max is 100 BB I'd buy the max or close to it, if it's 200 BB you can more easily get away with buying a bit shorter but I still like to have ~140 BB or so. I'm not a super experienced 2/5 reg, I have about 430 hrs logged, 125 of them this year. Every table can be different but here are my general observations:
1 - There's generally less limping and calling, more betting and raising.
2 - Related to 1 this means more 3 bets and 4 bets
3 - There is more bluffing and more gambling in general. More straddles, blind bets, "hey who wants to put in $100 and check it down?".
4 - You will still see all the player types, TAGs, LAGs, nits, maniacs, whales, fish playing above their level, but what you might also run into are some regs who are semi-pro, this is more rare at 1/2.
5 - The player pool is often smaller so if you're in a smaller market you could get to know the usual suspects really fast, and vice versa.
6 - The thing I love most about the transition from 1/2, 1/3 to 2/5 is that the super nit tables are much more rare. So when you wake up with a big pair you almost never run into: Open for $15, everyone folds... except now the opens are likely $25-$30.

IMO if you're beating 1/2 for 11 BB/hr you can probably spot who's who and make the proper adjustments (Koss highlighted a few possibilities already) to shot take. It's been hard for me to go back since I've started playing 2/5 more consistently (even without a proper roll).

I would just add that the better players will constantly try to iso the weaker players in higher stakes. Be aware of who those are and adjust accordingly.

As mentioned, what area (room) is a consideration in terms of strategy.

GL!

I agree with 1 and 2
but 3 is not usual ... more semi bluffing all ins and raises with big draws yes
pure bluffs I would say no
limped pots all around pre, almost never
as a newbie bluff less ,value bet more, they'll look you up till proven otherwise

I would suggest buy in for 100 BB and play your game. If you can't spot several spots/fish/weak players in the first hour I would just table change or go back to 1/2.

If you win a 300 BB pot or get upto 300 BB I would go back to 1/2 and get put back on the list for 2/5. Your roll is kinda short so 1 or 2 buyins in huge. after the hour is just jump back into 2/5

This is just my 2 cents

OP didn't say what his roll was... he just said 2 BI wouldn't break his roll.

He's probably basing this off of my NLH winrate. That excludes the my seed money as well as from tournaments and my regular $5-$50 spread limit mixed game I play. I'm rolled at around $10k currently.

$10K should be an adequate roll for 2-5 on its own, no need to think in terms of taking shots.

Yeah, like I said this isn't about the roll it's just I don't feel like 200 hours is enough of a sample at 1/2 to feel any where near confident enough to jump head long into 2/5. I also like to bi table max so right now I'm buying in at 150bb at 1/2 and would like to do the same once I start playing 2/5 regularly or maybe even potentially look for higher cap 1/2 games prior to that.

200 hrs is not enough of a sample for mathematical confidence. However, if you are playing like an 11bb/hr winner and not just on a heater you should know exactly where your $ comes from.

this is classic stuff - playing position, isoing limpers, going after dead $, knowing when to apply pressure, formulating a game plan for each player you are at the table with and executing, etc.

If this is the case and you are outplaying your opponents consistently you will do just fine at 2/5. One thing that a lot of people tend to do when they move up is they think that every one is making moves on them and they think they need to "play back" then they spew chips. Dont do this. Ya people are gunna 3 ball u light but until you have evidence of this you dont need to have a light 4 betting range. Its important to not forget where the money comes from. Hint: it doesnt come from whippin out yer johnson and getting into leveling wars with the regs.

best wishes

People actually bluff.

^ reread my poast. We are talking big picture stuff here. Obviously people bluff. If he is legit winning 11 bigs (ev wise) per hour he is in fact playing a dynamic game which includes a great deal of bluffing. My whole point is he is looking for tips in progressing into a 2/5 type of setting. I have seen many people when they attempt to move up level themselves into spraying chips. I was simply advising against that.

Funny. Since nobody knows me at sinos anymore, I find people try to iso me.
Until I call down 3 streets w 1 pair in a messed up spot and take the moneys. Then they back off.

But yeah. As to the move to 2/5–generally you’ll see more Aggro and more “deep” (medium?) stack play. Best thing is the removal of 1-4 droolers at the table grinding 30-80 bucks super badly but killing game action.

If you like short stack play, play short. If you are good deep, play deep. But he prepared to see distinct examples of the diff bt 100 and 220bb play.

I found my hourly B.B./hr went up as I moved to 2/5 bc it suits my creative style better, and I can more often get away with murder.





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I beg to differ on this last point.
If I can get an otherwise more solid reg to whip his dick out and get into a degenfest with me, my winrate goes up.

I have thousands of hours as a degen. That’s my comfort zone. Guys who tend to be more skilled then me at pure degen play often are playing higher then 2/5.

If you don’t have a winning degen mode, don’t adjust to degeneration with degeneration. Tighten up pre while adding more overall aggression. If a guy light 3bets, feel better 4bet-pounding the strong part of your range. On certain board textures, feel comfortable w bet/3bet when having only 1 pair (preferably an overpair). Etc.

That said, degeneration is infectious. The transitive property of degeneracy is that the more degenerate a game you play, the more likely it is that everyone else will to. And that’s a good place to be.


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maskk - i completely understand what you are saying here. I have won a lot of money cuz i do in fact know exactly when to whip it out. And I am not afraid to use my chips as weapons of mass destruction. However, we are talking about a guy that wants to start taking a poke at 2/5. I have logged an absolute ton of hours at the table. I have seen countless wannabees come and go. The spraying of chips is one of the biggest common leaks that most shot takers succumb to. They tend to think that everyone can tell that they are taking a shot and feel like they need to play back HARD and end up spewing

Squiddy—I believe all of that. Your reputation and years of comments make me pretty positive you are not the guy I want in my degenfest at 2/5. And if we are there, I’m moving to the three seats your left. You posted good **** on here when I was active years ago and that hasn’t changed.

I was just pointing out that not all of us live players are Tag/Rocks who win with discipline. A big Part of my overall w/r is getting others into spew mode.


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Great stuff everyone. As far as the degening, I have a degen game but I only use it in very specific what I consider to be huge +ev spots but definitely not looking to get that out at a new stake. I’m treating this as a sort of barometer just to see if I’m completely over matched because the next few months are going to present me some more spots to get into 2/5 games and I like to plan my hours ahead of time as to games/stakes. Also it would be nice knowing that in times that 1/2 is full in a room that I could go sit 2/5 and not feel like I’m way out of my league.