I'm not sure what forum this goes in but I really need help. Everything I discuss here is NLHE. I couldn't decide if this belonged in a strategy forum or a psych forum. I probably need a psychiatrist who is also a professional poker player.

Reads on me: MAWG here. Almost always show up in expensive clothes and a ~$5-K$10K watch. Have had to eat from change out of my couch at various times in my life, so I am humble and this is not a barg, but info on my appearance to other players. Had ground out half of my income for a few years on FT while sitting in an easy IT job, pre Black Friday of course. I'm not good enough to do that now. I got better but the game still slowly passed me by. It was mostly $10-$100 SNG full table, and $50HU SNG. I used to go with some friends to AC casinos and play for 24-36 hours straight with no rooms and clean up in cash games, and sleep on the ghetto bus home with many thousands hiding in my shoes and an open knife in my hand inside my pocket. Was always a cash fish online, if I'm honest with myself. One year short of a computer science degree but I dropped out for a tech startup with a friend in the dotcom bubble and lived large on venture capital for awhile before it burst and 9/11 decimated tech for a few years. I'm very good with math compared to most people, but I wouldn't dare say that compared to so many people on here whose posts I study.

My problem: Looking back through my history of playing live casino and cough home poker for the past 5 years, I am consistently profitable in my pro-infested Live 2/5 games and consistently a slight-to-big loser in 1/2. I play 2/5 the most. I'm about break-even at 5/10NL but at a MUCH smaller sample size. I used to have a poker-dedicated bankroll but I am now liferolled.

When I sit at a table full of pros and regs, I feel at home and can read and exploit. When a reg has a wide preflop range I know how to exploit it. I read patterns and body language and ranges and can profitably call down very light and bet for very thin value. I have a good grasp on game theory, although it seldom comes into play. I balance my ranges in a tough 2/5 game at 2 AM on a Monday night when I know I'm probably the weakest player at the table. I can see when I'm being observed and I can counter-exploit. However, when I sit at a table full of tourists I lose my shirt. I absolutely suck at 1/2NL, and at 2/5 on holiday weekends when everyone sucks.

What's wrong with me? Am I really only good at exploiting my image? Please help me understand how to improve in the areas I am bleeding money from. I'm completely blind to it and no longer have poker buddies to discuss things with. I feel as though if I close this hole, I can be truly profitable and move on in my growth.

“move up to where they respect your raises” was an ancient 2+2 formula for success.

it seems like you might have a sampling issue. it takes a long time to know your expected win-rate.

it also could be an adaptive issue. maybe the players at 2/5 are much tighter than at 1/2, and for whatever reason it benefits your style. i would think looking inward is the play here, to diagram where the mistakes are happening.

live reads assessment- 2/5 players are less willing to bluff at a guy wearing a Rolex than 1/2 players.

Where I live poker is not getting worse. It's easier due to the poker players in 1/2 being so gambly but the swings i have at 1/2 are far worse than before. Recently i got called shoving with AA and QQ preflop and got called by J8off and J10off. I lost both hands lol.

Thanks for the responses. I realize I wrote a wall of text and some points may have been glossed over, but the confusing part for me is that I have been consistently profitable at 2/5 live for the past 5 years or so, and consistently unprofitable at 1/2 over the same time frame. I'm a weekend warrior now but 5 years' worth should be almost a respectable sample size. I'd estimate 1200-1300 hours of live poker per year, 75% of which is 2/5. Rereading my post and your responses, I'm thinking that I may be guilty of massive FPS in live 1/2. I only track win/loss per trip and no per session.

I wouldn't say live poker got harder; I think there are fewer droolers but more people who get the basics and have immense leaks.

Do you have insight as to why you're losing at 1/2? Where is it that things are going wrong for you?

EDIT: wrong forum, pls delete

I honestly don't see where the problem is if you are really doing well at 2/5 like you say. Doyle Brunson himself once said that he can't beat the smaller stakes games because the money in those games don't matter to him.
Just don't play 1/2, If you're profitable at 2/5. Don't make it an ego thing.

I wonder if it would help to hire a coach to play a session of $2/$5 and a session of $1/$2 with you and tell you what he observes.

FPS at $1/$2 could be one explanation. Another explanation could be that your particular strengths as a player are more suited to the $2/$5 dynamics and player pool. Maybe a coach could suggest some adjustments to your $1/$2 strategy.

Then again, perhaps the solution here is simply to game-select those stakes and games in which you have historically done better, and not worry about figuring out how to beat games in which you have historically done worse.

Good luck!

if your always losing to these bad tourists your not playing tourists these are collusion rings that try to look like they are bad players so you stick around and play. If they keep beating you these are not tourists. These are teams of players going against you 3 and 4 on 1 and bleeding you till your felted.