Theoretically, yes. The whole idea is we are taking a shot because we have a large enough roll to not damage our to the point where we can no longer play 1/2 if we lose. So as long as we are winning at 2/5 there is no reason to move down unless we don't feel like we are winning players.

If the 2/5 game is really good, then you are extra gaddam crazy for not getting in that game. If you lose 2 or 3 buy-ins, you say "dang," & go grind out your $19/hr at a lower game.

This thread and advice from some regs I know got me to do the same thing.

I only had about a $3k roll for 2/5 and I'm up $9k so far from 2/5, but I'm running pretty godly as far as I can tell.

Don't underestimate the advice you guys can get from good regs tho. Make sure they don't suck, but if you can be sure they're actually winners it's invaluable.

OK, I'd appreciate some advice on whether it's time for me to move up.

I have a different and probably far more comfortable life situation that a lot of posters but I'm interested in experienced grinders perspectives.

My life roll is great. I have a business that goes well, am a property owner (3) and have no money worries although I have a wife and 3 kids and take money and the future seriously.

I don't play that often - I have 380 live hours of 1/2 logged over the last 2 years. I'm currently at $23 an hour. I'm on a bit of a hot streak right now - am at $60 an hour in 2012 from 35 hours. I can't get to the casino very often for life and business reasons although I'm thinking/reading about poker every day.

I am also a winning 50NL online player - up $3k at 6max since the beginning of last year - I play anonymous tables so don't track hands, but suspect that this is about 40k hands. I really feel that I crush online 6 max at 50NL. I'm a marginally winning player at 100NL 6 max too, although the sample size is smaller.

I also won a tournament for $4k late last year although I gave the money to my wife (new couch).

I only started keeping my poker winnings late last year and have $4k ish in casino chips in my house and another 1.2k or so online.


So I'm a winning player with no money problems. I'm also ambitious about poker and want to develop, learn and progress.

Do I move up? What holds me back is that I hate losing. I rarely lose big - I normally have a 2.5BI stop loss and I'm a conservative player, but even though in the big picture, I don't need the 5k in bankroll at all and I have no plans to use it....the thought of running bad or being outplayed and losing at 2/5 and losing it all is holding me back.


Part of me thinks that I should wait until I have 10k in casino chips in my bedroom and then do it, but with the limited hours I play, that will take forever and I want to keep improving - I don't want to be a 1/2 player for the rest of my life and am keen to move forward.

So...do I take some shots? Do I move up? or do I stay put?

I'm really interested in opinions.

this thread was the only reason i took a shot at playing 2-5$, thx op for the encouragement.

for anyone whos looking to take shots please do asap, 2-5$ is really not different then your avg 1-2$..the game plays much looser imo if your at the right table.


just richer people, thats all. 1-2 is a recreational limpfest compared to 2-5$. you will find the players to be a lil more competent but overall if your at a good table, your going to profit if you play a tag.

If you feel like you're being outplayed, move back down. How will you ever know if you don't get in the game?

You can always learn to short stack and buy in for $250 at 2/5 NL. Then with a roll of $2500 you would have to lose 10 times to go broke. It's what I did when I had about $2000 and worked for me. Short stacking is easy enough to win if you play patient and now I can afford to buy in for more if I want.

Shorty

This is really the issue. If you could never reload your bankroll if things go bad, then don't move up.

It sounds like if you have a terrible streak and lose $5k you could eventually at least reload it. So you might as well at least take shots at 2/5 to see what the game plays like.

I don't what the buyins are, but don't buyin like 200bb. Just buy in like 70bb if you're not sure and try the game out.

If it's an issue of you really getting outplayed it's a problem. But it sounds like you have some mental game issues of fearing losses that you might want to work on.

Go buy "The Mental Game of Poker" IMO. It's worth it.

I used to basically pro-shortstack online and IMO just play 70-80bb if you want to learn the stakes live.

You simply have to put yourself in 100bb-ish situations both to improve your game, determine your leaks, and figure out how you play relative to the stakes.

I'll buy the book - thanks. Yes, there would be no worries about re-loading, if the bankroll all went, although I don't want to have to do that if I can help it. (ldo). I also don't need the money at all and have no intention of spending it. I also don't think I play scared with my stack and I'm an aggressive player live, particularly post flop.

I don't think I'll get outplayed. I'm not a fancy player or playmaster, but I play very good Level 1 and a lot of level 2 type poker and my reads are good. I'm confident I'll be able to win once I get used to the game and the scale of bets.

the casino where I play, the max buy in is 100bb until you get to 5/10, so I would definitely be planning to play 100bb because there are regularly a couple or more of 3 and 4BI stacks at each table.

I think I just need to pick a time to make the jump for a couple of times and then analyse my play

I play mostly 1-2 and have about a $2500 bankroll and have been thinking about taking a shot at 2-5 for a while. I was playing 1-2 the other night and ran my $300 buy in up to over $600 in about half an hour so I decided to take my shot. Bought in for $500 at the 2-5 game (uncapped). There were about 3-4 players with 2000+ and just about everybody had me covered. The game played almost exactly like 1-2, except it was a little more aggressive. I mean like a tiny bit more aggressive, nothing at all to be worried about. I ended up losing the $500, but I definitely think I played fine. I played a big 3-way pot with the nut flush draw that missed and got my aces cracked by a flopped set. But like I said, I'm totally fine with the way I played and was not out of my league at all. I'm for sure going to try to start working in more shots at it as I use 1-2 to build my roll.

I've taken three shots at 2/5 in the last couple of months. My bankroll in currenlyt at $4K. The first time I bought in for $500 (max) as soon as seat was open. Busted out in a couple of hours, but played Ok (not good, but ok). The next two times, I played 1/2 until I chipped up enough to buy in for max at 2/5. This helped from a confidence standpoint when at sat down at 2/5. I had played well and ran well to chip up quickly. I was definately more confident in my decisions when moving to 2/5 in this scenario. Also, I treated it like a reward. I permitted myself to take a shot at 2/5, only if I had chipped up enough at 1/2, thus I was really only playing with "profits" and not impacting my starting bankroll for the night. This has also helped with my focus at 1/2. Others who want to take a shot, but are reluctant to do so from a br standpoint, may want to consider this strategy.

Stats for 2012:
1/2 -
+$2835
158 hours
$17.94/hr (9 bb)

2/5 -
+$2,030
15 hours
$135/hr (very skewed, obviously)

1st time playing 2-5 i bought in for 500$ and cashed out 2200$+ in less then 6 hours, ive never felt any better at the cage.

something that will almost never happen playing 1-2 unless you run like god.

We always let fish win the first time, so they will come back.

haha pretty much.

You just need to be REALLY careful when stuff like this happens, because when I run like that I sometimes start thinking that I should expect to crush the game like that.

So I'll play more hands, raise hands I shouldn't, make plays I should etc because I feel like I'm just better than everyone. When really, it's just me running hot.

I'm sure you know that already, just be careful next time that you don't make the same mistakes I did!

i agree completely, pokers a sick game for that specific reason..it can trick you into thinking your actually good.

I'm with you there - every time I think I've absolutely nailed it, the cards bring me back to earth. I'm running at about $60 an hour this year at 1/2 from 50 odd hours and feel so in control of the table it's scary. I'm not sucking out on people, it's more that all my 60-40s are holding up and I'm rarely getting beat by gut shots etc.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it's a tiny sample size, that the coolers will come and that I have to respect the game and make the right decisions.

I can guarantee that you won't be able to sustain 30bb/hr win rate, so don't even try...

Math wizard ITT, obv.

Nobody said he could do that, but why not try to? I don't believe in leveling expectations.

Do you really want me to answer that, Coach Troll?

yeah its a pretty intense feeling when your running good at the table.
when your unstoppable it just seems like losing is never bound to happen.

I like this more...

But just so we are clear, after growing your roll from 2k to 6k+ at the $1/3, then take 1K of that to the $2/5 game. At my casino (Commerce CA) the $2/5 game is a $200 max buy in and an option to buy up to $300 if you lose your initial buy-in. So that would give us roughly 5 initial buy-in’s.

Taking a shot can look a lot like dumb gambling unless you go prepared to take a possible initial hit and then come back. You’re going to want to give yourself the mental and emotional cushion to play correctly. In order to do that you need to have the money. I like taking a shot under the above conditions.

So far i've logged ~20 hours of 2/5 with decent results. I've found (lol sample size) that 2/5 the good players are generally better with hand reading, aggression, double barreling, trying to rep cards, 3betting, and, more importantly imo, giving credit at folding good/decent hands vs aggression on bad board run outs. They also try funky stuff like donking 3/4 pot out on low boards oop or c/r bad cbetting flops with second pair or air etc. The bad players are even worse due to the fact that they adjust poorly to aggression either by over compensating or playing way too tight post flop (not wanting to go broke with $700 behind etc).

That said, playing 2/5 has been good for me so far as i've used my image to rep cards, bet big when I don't have it and get folds, and value bet them to death when I actually do have a hand. For 1/2 and 1/3 that generally hasn't been the case and even more so than before. For some reason when players knew I play 2/5 they get way more call happy (as they should be I guess) and I end up owning myself at 1/3. So i've obviously been having trouble toning down my aggression and the temptation to fire that second or even third barrel on the perfect turn or river card because they've been calling me down SUPER light. What's everyones advice? How do I tone it down at 1/3?