Can someone explain how these games play differently? Besides the change in stakes, every other standard stakes the SB is half of the BB, so I’m trying to figure out what changes when the SB is less than half of the BB.

Completing the SB becomes an even bigger mistake. Otherwise, nothing.

As for how they play differently due to player pool, please try a search, as we've had a lot of threads on that. Cliffs: 1/3 is basically like 1/2 except that the standard open size isn't so ridic. 2/5 has some pros and more players who have a clue.

If you like watching paint dry you can go to Reno and check out some of the 1/2 games there.

I've only played 1/2 in Vegas, Reno, and California.

California was by far the loosest action, but overall I found this limit to be pretty tight and nitty. Like people really value their money at face value.

2/5 or 3/5 or 2/3/5 I've always found to be very splashy and full of more gambler types. The shorter the max buy in the better the game generally.
But you also do start to find a higher prevalence of more serious players.

The best games I've ever played at the $5 bb limits were at Hollywood Park, Commerce, and Hawaiian Gardens. They all had one thing in common, high population which means many games, and short max buy ins. Like 40bb.

Granted I haven't played down there in about 7 yrs but I have some friends in LA who play fairly often and we talk about what the games are like. One of my friends is kind of terrible and has been beating the 5/10 pretty regularly so I suspect the games are still as good as ever.

Can you provide more context on where you'll be playing? I think the games vary by city so it would help if you provided that.

I just got back from Reno last week and played some uncapped 3/5 and some 1/2 (match the biggest stack...not just at the table but in the entire room). There was some insane action when I was there. There was no paint drying anywhere. It was balls to the walls.

I also played at Hollywood Park and my God, the players there are bad. Anyone who thinks S. Florida games are soft has never been to L.A.

Must be a tournament in town or something. Reno is typically dead.
Either that or you're one of those one uppers who always has to say the opposite of someone else's statement.

There weren't many tables running in Reno but there was more action than Ive seen in a while. The guys I played with had no business being 400+BBs deep.

It was Fri/Sat so that could make a big difference.

Once again someone has hacked MikeStarr's account to soil his reputation by posting true and accurate information.

Wait, Mike was in Reno last Friday and Saturday? At the Peppermill?

Did we play in the same game? I'm the big white guy dressed in black, black leather hat, ponytail, goatee trimmed short, glasses.

Were you the Mike who was in seat 8 and then seat 9 of the must-move 3-5 game on Friday night?

ETA: At any rate, the 1-2 match-the-stack games at the Peppermill are rocking good games, at least when I played them, on ordinary week nights as well as Friday and Saturday, no tournament series going, just business as usual in November. You can straddle in any position except the blinds, for any amount up to half your stack. On Wednesday night a couple of guys were deep-stacked and straddling to $10. It was definitely not your grandfather's 1-2 game. I more than covered my expenses for my Reno trip that night, the first that I was there.

There was a lot of alcohol involved in my trip to the west coast so I cant really remember which seats I was in on which days. My real name isn't Mike anyway, but I was definitely at the Peppermill last Fri/Sat night.