Went well again. 3! Jammed AKs over MP open and two callers, took it down pre. Got AA, held. Got KK twice. 3! once, took it down pre. Second time, opened UTG, went fives ways and flopped top set on K-J-5hh. GII for $700 effective otf against bottom set and held. Ended up $1,100 in four hours. A milestone win. Biggest ever in one session.

Now a shock top and a little eve 6.

If you haven't heard the 'new" (2012) album, Speak in Code is pretty, pretty good.

Regarding playing tough players OOP, the best strategy is likely simply: don't. Another strategy (especially with playable hands like TT which we almost feel forced / compelled to play) is to play passively preflop by not building big pots OOP; this will limit the size of our postflop mistakes (making mistakes in small pots is fine; making mistakes in big pots ain't so fine).

Congrats on your good start to 2/5. However, at just a lol 50 hours I'm sure you know that is a completely meaningless sample size. Even though I have virtually zero 2/5 NL experience, my guess will be that it will end up being harder than lower stakes, so keep this in mind. This is especially true if you are just a modest winner at the lower stakes (which I believe you are?), so while outrunning the rake will be more easy at higher stakes I doubt the overall game will be.

Ggoodluck!G

You know, I have been playing my super tight A game since I started playing 2/5 regularly - how I started out at 1/3, when I did my best - which I think I can attribute to my good results so far. Moving up has definitely forced me to play tighter/better. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up having a much higher winrate at 2/5 (where there are still plenty of terribad players), as long as I keep up the good/tight play.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

RENDEZVOUS THEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!

Yeah, wish I had a more active multi-stake market where I could jump into 2/5 games as I saw fit, there's a chance that if the players are just as bad that you'll do better (due in part to outrunning rake).

I found the same thing when I jumped from 2/4 Limit to 4/8 Limit (with kill), in that the field was basically the same (but the difference in outrunning the same rake was night and day). Not sure how applicable that is in your case; time will tell!

Ggogogo!G

Last night went to free poker for a little change of pace. Then MGM, played 1/3 while waiting for 2/5. Raised 88, got two callers. Cbet 433, bet small on 4 turn, check/called $55 on 5 river (flush draw and oesd missed) and got shown 74o. -$125. Got called for 2/5. Doubled up with 3! KK/call fun player's 4! jam and flopped top set. Then not a whole lot happened. Completed SB with QJdd and check/called $15/$20/$30 bets on J-8-5-K-Q runout and lost to 888. Got off cheap.

Between 1/3 and 2/5 ended up just under $100 in a couple hours.

1/3 for a little then called for 2/5. Got AA , l/rr AI UTG over $35 BTN iso and GII against KK and held! Then 5! shipped KK and took down $200 pre uncontested no rake. Switched back to 1/3 as feeling under the weather and wanted to book a win to close out the month. Sat at whale’s table. GII ott after I raised flop in limped pot in BB with K4 on K-4-Q-J runout. He called flop with J4o and put me all in ott when he turned two pair himself. Heehee whales.

Ended up over $500 in 4 hours. $2,500 in February 150 hours $17/hr.

Oink! Here’s MGM’s beautiful Chinese New Year display:

Last night I started to come down with something but went to play anyway. No tough spots at 2/5. Got KK, five callers, flopped middle set on all-heart flop and cbet/took it down. MP open, three callers, BTN squeezed, I 4! jammed QQ and took it down pre. Then raised AA, SB 3!, I 4! $225, SB folded. Ended up $370 at 2/5.

Moved to 1/3 where my friends were (I was feeling pretty crappy) and got stacked by KQ with AQ on Q-high flop when we GII ott and he rivered Kings up. Pretty bad suckout as I had the nut flush draw so he had just two outs. Prior to that, raised QQ, one caller (fishy player), J-7-7 flop, we gii ott and he flopped jacks full. Needless to say, ran poorly at 1/3!

Ended up $250 between the two games in five or so hours.

Feel really crappy now (aches, cough, sneezing, runny nose, fever!), definitely a night or two off to recover.

Of the songs I listened to, I liked "Victoria." Quite catchy.

Health update:

Being this sick sucks. I slept ALL WEEKEND and still am not 100%. I had to cancel my OkCupid date this afternoon too. Grumble grumble....

A guy can only watch so many reruns of High Stakes Poker before wanting to gouge his eyes out.

At least no more fever or body aches. Just some general discomfort from being prone for 48 hours straight.

I don't know if I'll have it in me to play tonight either. Bummer. I'm on such a heater. I should be playing right now!

Instead I'm using countless trees to blow my runny nose.

Took a decongestant for the nose and I felt well enough so I caved and went for a short session. Started at 1/3 and made $120. 2/5, played one hand. Iso’d KK over three limpers to $40, got four callers. Checked down A-T-5-Q-5 and called $45 river bet and MHIG against JTo. Up $250 in a few hours between the two games.

I’ve officially made more money playing 2/5 than 1/3. That didn’t take long. People are right: move up as soon as you can.

Now fried chicken and shock top. Feeling much better. Hopefully 100% by tomorrow.

Yeah, that was the lead (and only?) single off the album. They did a tour in support. Got to see them at a crappy little venue in Colorado Springs with like maybe 200 people there, which was cool.

Back at it tonight. Sat 2/5 for $300 min. Got 44, flopped set on 45Tdd. Raise/GII ott against two draws and somehow held.

Then lost a decent single-raised pot with AK on AQQ74 runout to quad queens.
Then missed value with TT in limped pot on 669KT runout when I bet river and got raised. I think the last quads was running through my head because I just flatted the raise and won against QJ (didn't see the straight). Doh.

Switched tables. GII for $600 pre in straddled pot with KK and held on Q-high runout. Moved to 1/3 while waiting for pizza for home game I was invited to. Lost $30 at 1/3 in silly hands. Nuff said.

Ended up $800 between 1/3 and 2/5, $900 counting lucky table promo. Lost a $40 buy in at Elena's home game. Meh. Saw my friends.

How bad is your opponent and how much of a stack does he have behind? If he's not the absolute worst at the table by a country mile / has an insignificant stack left behind, I wouldn't kick yourself too much as I doubt you lost much value (as almost everyone can fold a straight on a paired board facing a river 3bet).

Gdon'tsweatittoomuch,imoG

Yeah, he was a good player who wouldn't stack off without a boat or better. We were $700 effective. I kinda thought if we got it in I might actually lose to quads.... Might have stacked him if he had 9s full though. No biggie.

Last couple sessions were OK. Lost $280 between 2/5 and 1/3 last night, won $900 tonight at Neeme and Owen's 3/5 Meetup game. Last night 3! AKo, delayed cbet got CRAI and I had to fold. After that hand left for 1/3 where nothing happened.

Lots of sets tonight though. Sets = $$$. (Except the one I folded ott. Don't fold sets!)

Some chip porn. Ran it up from $200 min buy in.

Lost today. Went to bed early last night, woke up early today, and went for day session. 2/5 I was card dead and just bled down, called a couple raises and missed, folded once in questionable spot with AK:

Hero raises UTG AKo, SB calls, BB calls. SB is tight player.

Flop: A-T-T. Hero bets $25 into $45, SB asks "how much?" and calls.

Turn: Q. SB donks $50. Hero folds. Is this too nitty or a call and evaluate spot?

1/3 went no better. No big hands except KK, but slowplayed it pre and faced a bet and an enrormous raise ott when the front door flush got there and had to muck. Limp/called a raise otb with A5cc and GII on A-3c-6c flop for $150 (pfr in BB/AT called me) and I didn't improve even though we were dead even otf. Jammed AA for $70 pre in a straddled pot with one caller and everyone mucked.

L/rr AKo AI for $95, only BTN called and mucked on Q-J-4-7-8 runout. Finally won one.

Then 3! AK over $12 MP open and two callers to $65, BB says "one time" and cold calls, everyone else folds, flop Q-T-4. He checks, I jam $125 into $160, he calls with AA and holds. Is this a good jam or spew? His BB cold calling range is probably 99-QQ, AK, AQ (maybe...). I guess I am getting 99, JJ, other AK to fold (that's a lot of hands) and getting called by everything that beats me (AQ, QQ, TT) (fewer hands), so not a terrible bluff. Of course I did not think he had AA or KK.... I decided to take a high-variance post-flop route and seems like I got punished for it just like the A5cc hand.

AK is such a mixed blessing. Have to raise it, normally 3! it, but at the end of the day I'm never super thrilled.

Down $600 in around 6 hours.

in the AK hand i would have called turn then if he bets the river im folding. the 50$ donk is going to be a blocker bet some %age of the time and if he continues river itd be for value unlikely any bluffs would take the ch call donk donk line. checked to on the river i would bet/fold for value. this is a flop i would also check back with AK against better more aggressive players. its a way ahead way behind situation and allows them to bluff turn/think your full of **** when you bet turn if checked too. against regs also allows for some balancing

Hey, awesome thread due too your work ethic (hours are insane), and your dedication too recapping daily. Admirable and transparent. I've lurked for years but am going to get more involved now.
We've played quite a bit together actually, but don't worry I would never out someone. Look forward too playing some more and ill introduce myself now that I know who you are and found your pg&c.
I'll share mine soon.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree checking has its merits on this board as well. On the other hand, there are just so many gutshots and weaker Ax to get value from though. It's pretty unlikely anyone has a T. $50 into $95 isn't exactly a blocker bet imo. $30 would be more blockerish. And I was hoping to play two streets, whereas by his bet ott it looks like the wants three streets of betting, i.e., he can beat AK (so Tx, AQ, KJ). I see call flop/donk turn with nutted hands all the time to prevent turn from checking through. Just went with my gut this time. Could have been wrong of course.

Oh, and typically asking "how much?" (often followed by a raise) = nuts.

Thanks! You should introduce yourself sometime there. Looks like you just created this account. 2p2 strat thread has been quite helpful, especially when I was just starting out. Hope it helps you too.

Honestly, I'm probably going to cut back on the number of posts soon. Maybe do 3-4 updates a week depending on how I feel.

When/how did you realize we'd played together?

I don't play nosebleed 2/5 NL, but I'm fine with your nitty fold of AK on ATTQ to the turn donk from a tight player who called the flop in a 3way pot with BB still to act. Obviously call/evaluate arguments, but this is a decent spot to deviate to a nit fold, imo. As mentioned above can also think about checking back the flop.

Action / dead money dependent, but there might be no need to jam A5cc on A63cc flop. Yes, we're likely slightly ahead, but we also have a showdownable hand and exactly what hands are we looking to fold out with a flop jam? For the most part, I think TP + nut flush draw should be played fairly passively because an aggro play typically just gets worse hands (not better ones) to fold (unlike playing bottom pair + nut flush draw where we have FE against lots of better hands). Not bad, just perhaps not best.

With just 3/4 PSB left in AK 3bet hand and overs + gutshot on QT4 and some FE against some parts of the range, I think a jam is fine.

Ggogogo!G

FWIW, he tanked quite a while, kept putting me on "trips" (set) before finally calling with AT (IMO a bad call), so I think there's merit in jamming to get better Ax to fold. As limp/caller, we can have all two pair Ax; he cannot.

Thanks, I have been reading guide for While now, everything helps.
Not until I'd gotten to th celebrity look alike posts and combined the mixture to narrow down who you might be to 1 of 2 players lol. I just finished your thread so not until just now for it to occur to me. Also there aren't that many short stacking 2\5 players who consistently do it. I like that you stick to your plan though.
I play at mgmnh about 2x a week and mdlive about 2x a week. I'll be saying hello.

Haha, that's funny. Talk to you in person soon then! I'll probably be there tonight and tomorrow (and, let's face it, Sunday).

After a while on here I realized I needed to branch out to other sources of info, so started getting into training sites. They've certainly upped my game.