Moving up in Micro limit

[BillsChips]

I played about 20k hands at 6-max .02/.04, with a winrate of 2.7bb/100. I moved up to 6-max .10/.20 and played about 40k hands with 2.9bb/100. Recently I moved up to 6-max .25/.50 and can't win a hand. I don't feel that I'm getting outplayed, just hitting the bad end of variance. After about 1500 hands I'm at about -6bb/100. I don't think I've had a single winning session. I took some shots at 6-max .50/1.00 and have a winrate of over 5bb/100 after around 900 hands.

I feel that I need to play through the downswing at .25/.50 just to prove to myself that it's variance and not bad play, but is it worth it if I'm winning at the next level?

I'm not really rolled for .50/1.00.

Thanks,

Bill

[bravos1]

if you're not rolled for .5/1 and you can't easily reload more money, then you should play .25/.5 or lower until rolled for .5/1.

Why do you think .5/1 is easier than .25/.5? And your "WInning at the next level" is pretty hilarious.. DUCY?

[Landonfan]

If you're comfortable playing underrolled and can drop down if things go horribly wrong, give it a shot. But you've beaten every level around .25/.5, so you'll beat it too if you play through the bad spells.

[BillsChips]

No, I don't see why. I've had one bad beat after another at .25/.50 right from the beginning, and some rather good fortune at .50/1.00. I didn't say it was easier, I've just been luckier. No kidding, at .25/.50 I've had sessions where I didn't win a single hand in four hours. I won't go into the bad beat stories because no one wants to hear them, but I'm convinced that it's variance. Intellectually, I know that I have to keep plugging away for it to even out, but it's hard losing consistently at one level, when you are doing well below and above it. It's become something of a thorn in my side that I can't have one winning session there. I'll go home tonight and if it plays out normally, I'll lose two buy-ins very quickly when my monsters turn into second-best hands on the river, then move up to recoup my losses.

[nerdking]

I played about 30k hands of 1/2 6max and was a consistent winner. Then last week in about 5k hands I dropped 215BB. Stuff happens, 6max variance is crazy. I dropped down, played some smaller stakes and started winning again. Go back to .10/.20. Read the forums and reply to hands etc etc etc.

[bellatrix]

One reason I've been posting here at the micros is that I played way above my BR at 3/6 (6max). With only 1000$ BR I was bound to go broke. No matter how well you play, if you constantly play above your bankroll you will go bust. I still don't think anything below 5/10 is really hard to beat, but you need to be rolled for it and you need a lot of patience to work through the swings.

[OziBattler]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not really rolled for .50/1.00.

[/ QUOTE ]
Bill, what are you going to do when you start getting unlucky at 0.5/1? Its possible that you just run really well at 0.5/ and if you arent rolled for that limit then when the run good period ends you are in for a world of pain. i dont want to be negative but im just trying to help you save yourself from busto.

[ QUOTE ]
No kidding, at .25/.50 I've had sessions where I didn't win a single hand in four hours

[/ QUOTE ]

this HAS to be an exaggeration. sorry.

Im going to suggest that you arent playing as well as you think you are and that your 'variance' is really 'variance+badplay'. I challenge you to get mroe involved in the forums and let the forum decide if you are playing good or not. Probably more bad play than you care to admit. It is also possible that since you are so used to losing at 25c/50c that you have trained yourself to play bad poker at that limit.

goodluck (at 25c/50c...sounds like u need it)

edit:
[ QUOTE ]
After about 1500 hands I'm at about -6bb/100

[/ QUOTE ]
this is a very small sample size and you can expect to have negative win rates of samples sizes > than this at fullring let alone 6max. some people here play than many hands in a day. I would focus more on your play than whether you win or lose....as much as beats may hurt..try and not worry bout them.

[bravos1]

[ QUOTE ]
No, I don't see why.

[/ QUOTE ]

You say that you're pretty sure that variance has hit you in the 1500 hands of .25/.50, but already feel you can beat .5/1 based on 900 hands..lol

Do you see the inconsistencies here? Personally I have no clue if you can beat .25/.5 or .5/1 or .10/.20 for that matter, but there is nothing magical about .25/.5 which will make you lose there, but crush the higher and lower games.

My suggestion would be to grind out .25/.50 for another 10K hands before even starting to put together any conclusions about how well you can do at that limit and move down if you need to.

[BillsChips]

Thanks for the replies. I'd like to clarify a couple of things that may have been misunderstood.

I didn't say I could beat .5/1 as I just started playing there and have gotten some good hands during the few hundred hands that I've played.

I'm reasonably sure I can have a positive rate at .25/.50, but have experienced a seemingly endless string of bad beats during the short time that I've been playing there.

I've played about 100k hands at levels up to $3/$6 and have an overall winrate of around 2bb/100. (higher if you exclude my first 5 or 6 months of course)

I cashed out a while ago and had two dollars left in my account for some reason. Playing .02/.04, I worked it up to $60, then moved to .10/.20. I worked that up to $150 and moved to .25/.50. During that time I stepped back down a couple of times when variance hit me hard, and stayed at that level until I again had 300 bb for the next level.

I guess my question was kind of retorical. Is there any reason to play a level if you're winning at a higher level? (Assuming that you're rolled for it and it's not some sort of fluke that you're winning)

Thanks again for the feedback.

[nerdking]

you're playing underrolled for 6max. 300BB is the suggested BR for FR, 500+BB for 6max.