Question regarding moving up in stakes...

[AlexSem]

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lol [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Please dont' encourage him to play more passive than he already is. And it's a mistake to limp KQs in almost any game

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That's probably true, and I think a leak in my game. I also tend on the weak-tight side, at least preflop.

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Need some coaching? *brings out a whip* GO READ ED MILLER'S Small Stakes *whips* lol


What I did for my mother (lol of all people she plays) is write a sheet of what to play in what position.


Ray... If you think you got leaks preflop, you got leaks you don't even KNOW about postflop that are most likely major.

What I have written on my mother's sheet for preflop is "EITHER RAISE OR FOLD UNLESS LATE POSITION WITH MORE THAN 3 LIMPERS THEN CALL WHAT YOU WOULD'VE RAISED OTHERWISE"

That's all there is to preflop game. Calling in early or middle position is a basic mistake that should never occur since it's incredibly easy to fix. Now things like counting hidden outs and implied odds and learning to bluff in the right spots... takes a while [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


I'm done hi-jacking this thread, I hope. Oh and yeah coaching might be a good idea for you not that I am the expert but can give you some advice [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ChuckyB]

Last night I made played in the 10/20 game for the first time ever. Normally I'm a 3/6 or 4/8 player. My bankroll going into the game was about $2500 (not nearly enough to play 10/20 regularly).

I was thinking about it all day, wondering how more than doubling my normal stakes would affect me. 'Am I going to pee myself the first time I get AA pre-flop and have to open for $20? $40 on the turn? On just a draw?'-- all that kind of crap.

Long story short, got a free play with 75 in the BB 5-handed... Flop J32, checked around, turn 5, SB bets, I raise, 3 folds, SB calls, we both check a river 3 and I win.
At that point I was no longer nervous because I was just playing poker. Regardless of the stakes, it's still just poker. And, as a real plus, I found the 10/20 game to be slightly tighter and WAY more passive than the 4/8.

I went in with the attitude that Sklansky suggests in "Sklansky on Poker". Play tighter than you normally would (thus sacrificing some profit) because you know the game itself will be more profitable than grinding out at lower stakes.

I say get some time at 10/20 (if you can)... you'll probably end up seeing some of the 20/40 and 30/60 players in that game occasionally. There you'll get a sense of what they do and how they do it. And you'll get a better idea of if you belong up there. And don't be afraid to casually scout the bigger games. You may find enough weak spots to make the game very attractive.

[rafiki]

I didn't read all the posts, but I'll add my perspective, hopefully there's not too much overlap.

I play poker casually. I have a day job, so if I get 10-14 hours of poker in a week right now, that's a lot. As such my online roll really isn't big enough for multitabling 15/30 for example. Because of that, when I'd go play casinos with my cash roll, I'd play 3/6 and 5/10. One day my friend told me to sit in the 8/16 the wynn had. I couldn't get over how bad the play was, and with a few grand on me, I could suffer the variance that a couple of days in that game would offer. We went to the bellagio on the next visit. I had...about 3000$. I sat at the 15/30 for the first time, and I felt terrible. I ran ridiculously cold, and without even getting a hand worth raising, I was down a few hundred. I went back down to play some 2/5 NL with my tail between my legs. Stacked 2 guys there, and decided to go back to 15/30. And that's when everything changed. I ran *decent*. Not well by any means. But value bet my hands, and ran well enough to win during that session. After 1 more session at that, I felt like I was always one of the 2 best players at the table. Even when I'd start a session down 800$, if I played long enough I'd always come out on top. Sometimes even, but almost always on top. I found the field to be weaker then the 2/4 game online. Ever since, I've only found a handful of 15/30 and 30/60 games where I felt I had to get up and leave. Usually because the table beside ours had huge fish, and a quick table switch meant way more profit. I think the biggest hurdle for me was paying so much in the blinds. When I got over that aspect, I could play optimally again. I quickly learned to avoid conflicts with players that were a lot better then me. And learned to try and get as much out of the worst tables at the table. Something that's not always as obvious with 6-8 tables open online.

[WillyT]

Nicky,

Cardinals fan I hope! I grew up around St. Louis and play at the Ameristar when I visit family for the holidays. I suppose it is kind of weird that there are no stakes there between 5-10 and 20-40. I've played quite a bit both online and in the casino and my advice to you is to invest a small chunk of money for online play so you can gain some experience. The best part is that if you deposit about 600 bucks online you should be able to get the experience you need in a few months to be playing in your local 20/40 game at Ameristar which, in my opnion, plays like a 5/10 online game or so.
If you start out playing 1/2 online you should be able to beat the games and you can start playing a little bit of short-handed at .5/1 until you get the hang of it. The increased aggression and analysis you'll be making will come quickly with your vast experience playing.
You'll also have a good forum here in the small stakes and small stakes short handed sections to post hands and get advice.
I can give you a hand if you need any advice on how to set things up or if you have any poker questions in general. Feel free to pm me or, of course, post questions in the forum.

Good Luck,
Bill