I have always been a fairly successfull online player and never got into live play that much but recently a lot of my friends only play live and don't play online due to "Bad Beats" in other words they don't know how to bankroll manage and don't have much discipline.

I am trying to get into it but I am wondering, what kind of bankroll should I have to play 1/2 NL.

And what kind of strategies do you use early play when your stack is only between 100-200, later on when it gets between 300-400. Also, at what amount is a good time to leave and after how many losses do you usually pack it in.

Bankroll depends on so many things, primarily how good a player you are. A generic answer is 20 buyins or $4k for 1/2.

Leave table when conditions are not good for winning, such as opponents are good; you're tired; you're tilted, etc.

I quit live sessions if I lose 2 buyins.

If you're having success online stay there. In regards to time spent driving, and other costs, it is way more +EV to play online. If you are going to only socialize and play with your friends then do just that. If you are successful at online you should be able to pick up live fairly easy.

Other than that I'd say use the search button, you'll find tons of threads about this that have what you need.

Alright thanks will do. I kinda want to get into it so I can start doing some serious live tournaments but first see if I'm successfull with cash games.

my advice is stick to cash.

I'd say 10 full buyins is enough to give it a shot and see if you like it. Ongoing you'd want more, but for now it should be plenty. I bring 3 buyins with me to the table at the start of the night. If I lose all of those I take a break and usually don't go back. Regardless of wins or losses if the table looks unprofitable or my mental focus is lacking I leave.

I don't think there's any universal big stack strategy for 1-2NL. Most of the time there will be one or no other big stacks at the table to begin with. If there are several big stacks it's often a result of one maniac driving the action so your focus will be on him and how people are reacting to him anyway. If you're a good online player you probably have all of the basic strategies down. You just have to spend some time at the table adjusting to the much looser and slower style of live play.

What level of on-line play do you beat? How many tables? ptBB/100?

In general, a 5nl player will be competitive at 1/2 and a 25nl player will just have to make a few adjustments to their game to beat it. That said, a big obstacle to the transition is the fact that the stacks are far bigger and for the most part, people are under rolled for the game. It takes time to get used to shaking off losing $200 instead of $10.

I'm a 50NL player and usually go 3 table when I play depending on my bankroll. But yeah the cash losses could be a big transition at times for sure.

Why would a $5NL player be able to beat $1/$2, but a $25NL needs to make adjustments?

I think by competitive he meant not beating the game, but close.

Fair enough. Just a confusing statement.

This is correct.