I mostly played MTTSNGs and MTTs before being kicked off the sites. Live I mostly played MTTs. I tried playing live cash games recently in the eastern US. I had played live cash games, but hadn't really developed a grinding routine to beat them consistently.

I found the play much tighter than a few years ago. Used to be at 1/2NL, there would be big raises and multiple callers maybe half the hands, and wild postflop action. I sat down at a 1/2NL table Saturday night, where 80% of the hands were limped pots. Most players limped in. It was still very loose passive. However, I did not feel this was the type of table where you could make a lot of money.

Then I went over to 2/5NL. There the play was also loose passive, but a little more like decent poker. It the 1/2, I felt my decent play sort of stood out, and I almost felt uncomfortableas some poeple noticed this, and people would just fold to my raises; didn't feel that way at all at 2/5.

I also felt that 2/5 was a much bigger game than 1/2, as not only were the blinds higher but a much higher proportion of the pots were raised. It used to be that 1/2 played almost as big as 2/5 with the huge open raises. I felt like the action at 2/5 was not as crazy as it used to be.

I felt I could probably do decently at 2/5 playing solidly, but making some postflop moves and semibluffs. The tighter players were more predictable and easier to bluff than wild ones. Also, there was so much limp/calling and multiple callers on the flop, it could be exploited, partly by just playing solidly. Also, the loose/passive play creates big pots that can be stolen.

Is this in line with what other people have noticed?

Right in line....but like anything else.....it depends.

I've played at some extremely tight 2/5 games.....and the complete opposite at the same location.

But, in general...I agree with what you are saying.

Eh, I still see a lot of the same old - same old. As always, some tables are different, but in my experience, 1/2 is still extremely loose.

I've noticed the game is alot tighter than before- last night I saw a guy fold QQ preflop and he was looked at to me as a passive fish type.

I said it before, and now I watch as it unfolds (even though it will be a gradual change). At least for casino poker in Vegas, LA, AC, etc. more and more internet players will find their way to cardrooms. Many will actually move to casino areas ESPECIALLY once the US finally snuffs our merge and the few remaining networks.

This is bad news for the regular poker crowd in the casinos who have just been reading Cardplayer articles while waiting for games or reading Harrington while taking a dump at home. Yea, its just the beginning, and yea it will take awhile, but be complacent and watch your bottom line progression for the next few years.

I was looking at the Bellagio 5-10 and 2-5 last night. If i put only 2 to3 moderately decent online players in the game and give them a month to figure out adjustments, then many of the current fish in the game will eventually put pushed out to a level below. I already saw several 2-5 faces now getting on only the 1-2 list and same for 5-10 players waiting only for 2-5.

Live poker has been immune to this change since any tough player will take online 10 tabling over the dreariness of live poker any day of the week. But now, well, get to studying unless you play in home games, Florida, Mississippi etc. Actually there will be tougher players coming in to games no matter where you are. I see where Cardrunners released a new video based on moving from online poker to live poker. Its unfolding just as I predicted.

Well first off the games are dead in Las Vegas so I see why players are doing that. More players in the casino the more money. Online shutting down might make the games decent in Las Vegas.

Everyone is scared like the Apocalypse is coming.

Let's say weaker under rolled fish don't play anymore or get pushed out as you say. You replace that guy with a well rolled online player. Just makes the game better, I think it would be easier to take shots and move up levels since more players will be professionally rolled. Who don't play like they are playing with their rent money. Lol

Live poker is the truly only real way to play cards nothing like it. A mouse and a hud can't compare.

I'm sure that the games will get a little tougher with some online grinders, particularly after they adjust. However, there should also be some fish who used to play online.

What I noticed was more versus 3-5 years ago was not that the 1/2 and 2/5 NL games were much tougher, but the play was more conservative, particularly preflop and particularly at the 1/2 level.

I played at one 1/2 level where there were so few preflop raises and most of the raises were pretty small. People had to be limping with premium hands for that to happen. It wasn't tough play, but very different from the old days where it was often raised to 15 preflop.

I think UIGEA really hurt live poker, back when it first hit. It took a while to notice, but the poker boom momentum just couldn't sustain that hit, and as it got hard for newbs to put a few bucks on-line to figure the game out, they just weren't to jump right in to playing at the casino for "real money."

Result: fewer new players, fewer games being spread, more of those of us who started in the Moneymaker era figuring out WTF we were doing. All means fewer and tougher games. It's a gradual process, and I don't think poker will die, but I've already seen 3 of the six places spreading poker in Cripple Creeek either remove their tables (2) or start spreading only on the weekends (1).

I was a bad barely winning weak tight live player, then was learned how to become a decent 25 and 50 NL online player, now have to go back playing live. All I know is I played 2/5 and a little 5/10 in Vegas for 37 hours the last week and won $4100. One thing I've noticed at 1/3 and 2/5 is players raise more PF, and generally have a better range on the flop, I don't really think as much open limping is very optimal anymore at 1/2 and 2/5. It's playing more and more like an online game everyday, as in terms of how ppl play.