I have found a great deal of success at $1/2NL in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Over the past 3 years, I've been averaging $30/hr at $1/2NL playing weekends and the occasional trip to Vegas.

I was curious to see if I could play poker full-time and took a month long trip to Vegas to challenge myself. I played 140 hours and averaged $32.50/hr plaing $1/2NL and about 30 hours of $1/3NL.

I repeated the process for 5 weeks again and in 190 hours I averaged $29.25/hr. Currently, I'm on another trip and right now I am 262 hours in and averaging $29.47/hr playing 95% 1/2NL and 5% 1/3NL.

My style is pretty basic but it yields excellent results. I play suited one gappers and better and focus on position. I semi bluff with my draws in position and slow play just enough to get people pot committed. I mix up my play and try to keep sessions under 4 hours and then switch tables or even casinos.

I've noticed myself getting bored of this style and losing a sense of value to the money. I have developed a habit of bluffing with hands like 3-7off from preflop all the way to the river. I've been playing way more aggressively and have donked off way too much money (about $1.5K when I would get bored and start trying to run the table over unsuccessfully.)

Before making $200 to $300 in a night was a great joy, now it is the norm and if I am only up $100 to $200, I get greedy and begin to play too aggressively and lose money.

I began to track weekly figures and set short term goals since it became difficult getting motivated by $300 when I'm up several thousand for the month.

Anyway, I feel that moving up to $2/5NL will be a great way to fix my boredom since it will be more difficult and challenging. Plus, I will have more money at stake so I feel that I won't be as loose in donking off a stack with a bad call "just to see if I had the right read". I've begun doing that unfortunately.

So, is moving up to $2/5NL the right decision? My concerns are playing with scared money since I play deepstack with my current style. I also worry that I don't play enough $1/3NL so the jump will be too high. Plus, I'm worried about missing my targets if I run bad and lose money that I have already banked.

My biggest concern is that my current style won't be as successful in $2/5NL b/c I will be too tight and predictable to make more than $30/hr. I won't get called when I have a strong hand and I will be making less than what I make at $1/2NL.

I figure $2/5NL has less people to the flop and less limped pots. My implied odds will plummet, I will see less flops, and thus be in less pots and win less money.

Any thoughts and/or advice?

Moving up doesn't solve the issue of boredom... Yes it is far more challenging and difficult b/c the players are better and it is a tighter group of regulars playing @ 2/5...

Work on your game more @ 1/2 before moving up to 2/5

Depending on when and where you play you can find some pretty soft $2/5 games. Vegas on the weekends is probably better for you to be playing $1/2 as that's what all the tourists will be on. During the week, you are likely playing a number of regs on $1/2 or $1/3 regardless, in which case, you could probably tackle the same regs playing $2/5.

While standard ABC TAG at $2/5 isn't the most effective way to make money, you should still see a profit and most likely a larger profit than playing the same way in a $1/2 game.

Walk in to your casino of choice, and check out the games for a few minutes before you request a seat. If the $2/5 looks pretty soft, give it a shot, if it looks like tough action, go back to $1/2 or preferably $1/3.

I'd also make sure you are properly rolled for $2/5 so that you aren't playing with scared money. I'd suggest a $10-15k BR minimum in order to feel comfortable, but that may be on the conservative side, but it's what I'd want in order to play $2/5 consistently.

I'm a $1/2 player for the most part but I'll jump in the occasional $1/2/5 or $2/5 game if the action is good. $2/5 tends to be a bit looser and more agg than $1/2 so playing super tight can actually pay off in my personal experience, but as I said, I only dabble in $2/5 and it is not my regular game.

BAEVentures

Bluffing at 2/5 is pretty much a situational strategy and usually against one person depending on stuff you've seen. i usually try to not bluff at 2/5 that much and i yield pretty good results this way