.50/1.00
 

I've just moved up to .50/1.00 and I have only played a few sessions, but the caliber of player seems much higher. Players betting into me on every street after ive raised the previous with draw, etc... Seems they are all aware exactly when im trying the free card play.

Are most players at this level this good or did I just sit the wrong table?

How is .50/1.00 for the rest of you? I feel like im being eaten alive.

Re: .50/1.00
 

I think the difference between 0.25/.50 and 0.50/1.00 is that generally speaking the players at 0.25/0.50 seem more passive.

I think that you will probably find that you will get more preflop raising at 0.50/1.00 than at 0.25/0.50 and my guess is that there will also be more late position (steal) raises.

There are still plenty of players at 0.50/1.00 that play too many hands though. You get some lags, some players that are somewhat loose pf and probably too passive postflop and a few fishy players.

I have noticed that you also get a fair number of multi-tabling TAGS as well.

Overall, I suppose that the 0.50/1.00 game is somewhat more agressive than the 0.25/0.50 game with some better players. However, there are still a number of poor players also.

Re: .50/1.00
 

David, maybe you are raising too many draws. If the same players are doing this, shift gears a little. Sure the players are going to be somewhat better as you move up, but you shouldn't notice a massive difference from .25/.50 to .50/1. You will need to make some adjustments to your game, but make them gradually and don't drift too far from your already winning style of play.

Pay attention. If you are running into some lags, get some reads. Especially when you are not in the hand. Try and get a note on every player at the table. Even if it is "open raised preflop with A6o in mp1".

My advice about moving up, other than running hotter than a 2 dollar pistol [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img], is to be patient. If you hit a bad run of cards, just relax and know it won't last forever. Don't let the bigger bets get into your head.

Re: .50/1.00
 

For whatever it's worth, back when I made the move from $0.25/$0.50 to $0.50/$1, I felt the same way. I felt like the games did get quite a bit more difficult and I did take an immediate downswing.

Just keep learning and know that it will get easier. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: .50/1.00
 

The same happened to me, but my immediate downswing was mostly due to variance. Top pair vs. top set type hands.

Re: .50/1.00
 

the free card barely seems to work online in my experience. there are some players that check the turn, but in general if there's a flush draw on the board you're not gonna get the turn checked very often..

Re: .50/1.00
 

David if it makes you feel better i recently moved up last week to .50/1.00 after winning $200 [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] over a course of 15 thousand hands at the .25/.50 level. However, im only winning .67bb per 100 hands(approx. 6 thousands hands played) at .50/1.00.

It seems so much more aggressive!! I now feel like im the one getting pushed around even though i have TAG style of play. i get bet into after i raise preflop, people check-raise with a wider range of hands, and yet there are still people who call down with very slim draws. im just cant figure what adjustments i need to make [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: .50/1.00
 

[ QUOTE ]
Players betting into me on every street after ive raised the previous with draw, etc...

[/ QUOTE ]

By the way, this isn't a bad thing at all. If they keep donking into you after you raise, this is value city for you! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: .50/1.00
 

[ QUOTE ]
the free card barely seems to work online in my experience. there are some players that check the turn, but in general if there's a flush draw on the board you're not gonna get the turn checked very often..

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT. The free card play works nicely against the really passive guys at .25/.5 and below, but a lot of people seem to be aware of it at .5/1 and above and donk the turn. You should still use it in a medium-large pot if you have the nut flush draw, but generally speaking don't do it as much.

Re: .50/1.00
 

I think it depends on which site you play at. When I started out at PokerStars, I was moderately successful at 0.25/0.50, but when I took shots at 0.50/1.00 there, I usually got my ass handed back to me, raped...

Now I've been playing on Everest a lot and I don't see any difference at all between the play at 0.25/0.50 and 0.50/1.00.
In fact I'm running rather good at 0.50/1.00, but every time I've taken a shot at a loose 1/2 table, I got bitchslapped. However it appeared that I mostly hit the wrong end of the variance curve there...
Most notable difference between the limits is tighter play on average (4-way pots instead of 5-way). And this in turn makes me tighter as well (since I can't play less suited connectors and small pocket pairs and the likes profitably)...