Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

Some background: I've played 25nl and 50nl 6max on Party and FTP during the past year and have always been reasonably profitable in those games. I never played enough to build a decent bankroll for 100nl, became bored with 6max and cashed out. I have never seriously played SNGs. Recently I deposited $400 on Stars to start playing HU.

I'm now looking for some advice on how to proceed with this. Ignoring all BR guidelines I've been playing some (50nl) HU cash and noticed the rake is over 4ptBB/100. I'm far from sure I can beat the rake at this level, let alone actually build my roll. My BR is still around $400. Should I just suck it up for a while and play 25nl 6max until I have around $1000? Or would it be better to play HU SNG's for now? Which of these two options would better prepare me for HU cash?

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

HU sitngos is the fastest way too build a bankroll in existence if you are prepared to risk going bust.

dont play cash so no comment to the 2nd half of your post.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

play some 11s post trouble hands please dont play HU cash with 8 buy ins when u get bored with that play some 25nl

so many people try to specialize in one thing and i dont understand it as long as what ur doin is profitable its fine. i go through stretches of days or weeks where all ill play is cash games. or then ill play a [censored] of multis ect......

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

I am not aware of how good your HU skills are, but I suggest you play a stretch of 100-150 games at the $10 HU sng's. Try to aim at a 58% win rate, (65% would be awesome and is very achieveable at this limit). If you can beat the $10s at a higher win rate then 60%, move to the $20's, as you will now have increased your BR substantially to meet the $20 HU sng's.

Goodluck buddy, feel free to contact me if you need any help.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

[ QUOTE ]
so many people try to specialize in one thing and i dont understand it as long as what ur doin is profitable its fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Because if they can cope with the monotony of only playing one type of game, they are likely to make more money due to being an expert in their field as opposed to a Jack of all trades.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

I would also suggest starting out with some $10s HU SNG and then going up to $20 HU SNG if you are having a nice progress. I think you should stick to HU SNG's untill you have build up a big enough bankroll to play like $100 or $200 cash. As far as I know it is first at the $200 NL that the rake becomes "acceptable", although it is most certainly possible to beat HU cash at the lower stakes if you are good enough.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...rt=all&vc=1

The above link will give you some information about how likely you are to be a winning HU SNG player, if you should choose to play them while building your roll.

gl!

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

at NL25 CASH HU - RAKE is the KILLER!
http://stream.ifolder.ru/4187289

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
so many people try to specialize in one thing and i dont understand it as long as what ur doin is profitable its fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Because if they can cope with the monotony of only playing one type of game, they are likely to make more money due to being an expert in their field as opposed to a Jack of all trades.

[/ QUOTE ]

In poker, different games are a lot more similar than the skills a "jack of all trades" would usually have. It's a lot easier to transition into becoming a hu cash player for a husng player than it is for a cement worker to become an electrician.

If you master one form of poker it is incredibly likely that you can master at least one other form of it.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

With that bankroll you should definitely play SNGs rather than cash games. Play them to build the roll and to learn headsup play a bit more before you switch to cash games. And if the cash games start poorly you can always go back to SNGs.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

I absolutely hate HU sitngo's. They utterly disgust me. Don't know why.

I would build my bankroll to about $2k and then play the HU NL100's.

Enjoy.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

Thanks for everyone's advice! I will be playing the $11 turbo's for now until I have a decent bankroll (if it turns out I'm actually beating them). According to some BR managements threads I have read, I could start playing the $22's with a $500 roll. Would you say that's a wise thing to do or should only proven winners do this?

I would also like to post a small brag here (variance is a more correct term [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]). These are all the hands of my last 3 SNGs:

First SNG
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (2 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero (t1500)
BB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t60</font>, BB calls t40.

Flop: (t120) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t100</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to t200</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t700</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to t1440</font>, Hero calls t740 (All-In).

Turn: (t3000) A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t3000) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t3000

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
BB has Ad 4d (one pair, aces).
Hero has 5c 6h (two pair, sixes and fives).
Outcome: Hero wins t3000. </font>

Second SNG
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (2 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero (t1500)
BB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t60</font>, BB calls t40.

Flop: (t120) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t80</font>, BB folds.

Final Pot: t120

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (2 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero (t1560)
Button (t1440)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t40</font>, Hero calls t20.

Flop: (t80) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Button bets t60</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t200</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t1400</font>, Hero calls t1200.

Turn: (t2880) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

River: (t2880) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t2880

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has 4c As (full house, fours full of aces).
Button has Jc Js (two pair, jacks and fours).
Outcome: Hero wins t2880. </font>
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (2 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Third SNG
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (2 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero (t1500)
BB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t60</font>, BB calls t40.

Flop: (t120) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t80</font>, BB calls t80.

Turn: (t280) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t220</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to t1360</font>, Hero calls t1140 (All-In).

River: (t3000) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t3000

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
BB has Ad Jd (two pair, aces and eights).
Hero has 7c 5d (straight, nine high).
Outcome: Hero wins t3000. </font>

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

Variance in all of it's manifestations.

gl;

btw, just shove those flops.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you master one form of poker it is incredibly likely that you can master at least one other form of it.

[/ QUOTE ]

But not to the degree you would if you only focused on one form of poker.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

a lot of the top players dont just play NLHE they will play PLO LO8 HORSE ect....

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

Playing Heads up cash with that many buy-ins, is truly a bad idea. there are plenty of easily beatable games all the way u;p to to the $33 husng on both FTP&amp;Stars. stick to hu sng till u get to 30 buy in at 100nl.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

Yea man you can make good money playing the 33 dollar HU sngs on pokerstars. Just play those build up a bankroll and sharkscope some of the 55s and 110s when u get there. You'll make money guranteed.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

[ QUOTE ]
a lot of the top players dont just play NLHE they will play PLO LO8 HORSE ect....

[/ QUOTE ]

But if they could play one type of game without going bored, they would be better at that type of game than if they played other types as well.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

playing games other than NLHE will undoutably help your NLHE game

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

You reach a point where you learn a lot less about one game than you would studying another. I don't think I'm too close to getting there, but if you're grinding the 550s or something for a steady profit I'm sure it's likely that you'll learn more in the same time studying a new game.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

There are concepts that you will never be able to grasp if you only play one game, ergo, you will not be able to master any form of poker without learning another form.

Re: Playing HU poker with a small bankroll
 

[ QUOTE ]
playing games other than NLHE will undoutably help your NLHE game

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but I am saying it would help less on your NLHE game than if you kept playing NLHE.

[ QUOTE ]
There are concepts that you will never be able to grasp if you only play one game, ergo, you will not be able to master any form of poker without learning another form.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why?

The only cases where I think it is true that you have to play another game to learn a specific thing are when the game you normally play don´t have a "feature" another game has (NLHE is not a high/low game for example). But when the feature is not in your regular game, there is no point learning about it.