Continue at Current Stakes?

[JohnnySik]

Long story short...

Played .05-.10 (occasionally jumped up to .25-.50 to build bankroll and did well) and $1, $2.25, & $5.50 tourneys on Full Tilt.

deposit $50, Lost $50

Deposit $50, Lost $50

Deposit $50, Lost $50

Deposit $70, Lost $70

Deposit $80, Lost $45

I turned the remaining $35 into over $1k playing tourneys over the course of 10 days.

Then I bought PokerTracker. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Should i continue pissing my money away at the .05-.10 ring games. I don't have the 20K-50K hands in poker tracker yet to give info, but i'm deffinately loosing $10 a session here. (sometimes 20min., Sometimes 5 hrs.) It seem like my game suffers playing at this limit!

I play $1-$2 at the B&M casino and do pretty well.

At the .25-.50 limit my efforts are rewarded more it seems. People aren't calling me to the river with crap and sucking out on me(bad beats still happen of course). I can push people off thier hands! I can make decient bluffs! I confuse people and get paid off more. I feel I have played better at this level. When I needed more money to play tourneys, this is where i was able to pad my roll.

Been playing poker for a while. New to internet for money play.

I think the lower limits are hindering me.

Should I continue to play the .05-.10 and use PT to track them or move to .25-.50 and track those for 20K-50K hands? Almost like the games are night and day to me!


Opinions of those who have been there before would greatly help with my decision.

I'm not at all opposed to putting in the time at the lower limit. I just wonder if my efforts would be rewardeed more at the higher limit. (In experience and profit)

And any advice on how to maximise Pt to help me would be bennificial. I read the forums for a month (Ms Sunshine & Bison) about PT. The documentation seems vague. Wonder if I am realising the full potential of this program or not.

[JohnnySik]

One more thing.

I took my ill found winnings and did a litlle experiment.

Everything I have ever read about poker stresses agressiveness.

I played agressively at both levels. If i hit a piece of the flop, I bet. If I hit a flush draw I bet. If I had an OESD i bet. Inside straight draw, bet. If I had jack sh!t I bet!

Sometimes it was just comical!

Blew threw $20 in less tha 30 min. at the lower limit.

Lasted a few hours at the bigger limit.

Thats really what got me to wondering if i was just wasting time and money playing the lowest limit.

[Nogatsira]

BANKROLLMANAGEMENT, thats a key word to remember.
Deposit $200, then play NL10! The $1k you got over the course of 10 days is just a good run with bad bankroll management I guess.

Don't think you're able to beat 1/2 online because you do well at 1/2 in B&M. B&M is FREAKING soft! Players at NL10 are probably playing better then people in a casino.

If you can't even beat NL10 then why bother moving up? Don't tell yourself: 'oh they call down with anything, they don't know how to play, I can't win against them' because thats BS. If you can't win against donkeys then don't move up but work on your game.

Post some hands here, find out where you're doing it all wrong.

[Nogatsira]

Another thing

[ QUOTE ]
At the .25-.50 limit my efforts are rewarded more it seems. People aren't calling me to the river with crap and sucking out on me(bad beats still happen of course). I can push people off thier hands! I can make decient bluffs! I confuse people and get paid off more.

[/ QUOTE ]

I mean.. WHY don't you want people to call you down to the river with crap???
You are just playing the game totaly wrong. VALUEBET instead of bluffing!
"someone who tries to bluf a donkey who wont fold is the bigger donkey"

[whyzze]

The rake at FT nl10 is ridiculous.

If your bankroll can handle it, try nl25.

[okcomputer69]

You have to be doing something seriously wrong to go through so many buy-ins at the .05/.10 level or running really really bad. The play is usually so bad at 10NL that PT seems kinda of worthless; but that just me. You could probably find some value in using the program. I would stick to 10NL and play nitty ABC poker.
I crushed 10NL with this elementary approach.
Play and raise only premium hands out of position, try to see flops cheaply with small pocket pairs to try and flop a set, and play medium/large suited connectors and any suited Aces and Kings in position. Don't bluff (unless very weak player), don't get tricky, just wait and pick spots when you know your good. People seem to give away their hands very easily at this level, so the ability to get away from big pocket pairs pre-flop is key. I can't even count the times anymore when two donks get over-excited with their cards and mega raise with a mega re-raise and I can easily get away from my JJ or QQ. The same goes for post-flop play with AA/KK, alot of the time the loose callers will make it very easy for you to fold those rockets with major over-bets. Stay away from ace-rag and even some large unsuited ace combos out of position. Remember...position, position, position...cause you would be surprise at how many players at 10N think of only think position means doggy-style or missionary.

[MusashiStyle]

the thing about the internet poker is that the higher the level, the harder it is (in general). I don't understand why u would think it would "hinder" you to play low. You have to be able to learn and adjust at all times so I would suggest playing like 50k hands at Nl10, or NL25 and trying to find ways to win before moving up.

[JohnnySik]

It's not that i don't want them to call me to the river with crap. It seems to me I take more bad beats at the lowest limit than in the higher one.

In the 5-10 cent game i got involved in a hand against 4 other players. I didn't want to be involved with four people but 2 of them had less than $2.50 on the table. I had about $19. The other guy had about $1 more than me.

I open Raised got called by one smaller stack and raised by the other. The guy that had me out stacked called. In a 5-10 cent game it's now alittle more than dollar to enter the pot.

I have pocket Q's. I make it $4.50 to go because i have position on the bigger stack. This pushes the small stacks all in and they both call. So does the bigger stack.

Flop is 2 clubs all lower than q. I bet about half the pot, big stack calls.

Turn brings 5Clubs. big stack moves all in. I fold.

When the cards are flipped up one of the small stacks has nut flush (he only was in for $2.50 or so) and the big stack has trip 5's.

I was smart enough to lay dow my hand but i went from $19+ to $8.25. And I'm left scratching my head thinking at what point preflop did big stack KNOW his 5's were good. Not only that but then he called my bet on the flop. And i had position.

These things don't happen to me (on a regular basis) in the 25-50 cent game.

It seems like it's a nickle and dime mentallity, and no one valeus the $10 buy in. It's chump change.

[MusashiStyle]

[ QUOTE ]

These things don't happen to me (on a regular basis) in the 25-50 cent game.


[/ QUOTE ]

except this happens all the time at .25/.50 and above and just because u didn't experience it there does not mean it doesn't happen. generally players are better so they would fold 55 preflop for half their stack at higher levels, on the other hand, don't u want people to put in half their stack with 55??????????
?????

[JohnnySik]

I understand these things happen at all the limits.

Try to express myself clearly here.

I want to improve my game.

I can take 200 - 400 and play the 20K-50K hands, track my progress on pt, build a little more into the bankroll along the way. And I'm confident I will have positive cashflow and a healthy BB/100 when it's all said and done at 5-10.

I'll use the other 600-800 to continue to pull down final tables and cashes in $5 and $10 tourneys to further build my bankroll.

With my playing experience, I wondered if nickle and dime was the correct game for me or if I would get more from the next level.

It's not that i can't beat the low limit. It just reminds me of playing those free bar tournaments where everyone thinks they are an expert because there really is so little risk involved, and everyone plays accordingly.