Playing above you bankroll...

[BlibbityBlabbity]

Here's the situation. You are comfortable with a .25/.50 limit game (maybe .50/$1 at certain sites) but you have a bonus to unlock at a site where the minimum game is .50/$1 and the lowest game that ever has a full table is $1/$2 (sometimes $2/$4).

Can you assume that the skill level is very similar in the $1/$2 game because it is the game being played with the lowest limit at the site (assuming those players would be playing .50/$1 if it was hopping too)? Seems like 8/10 players were bought in at 1/2 or less of the $80-100 buyin I would expect at a$1/$2 game.

So, It started that I had $73 to unlock, and that is below my comfort level (for a limit such as this) as I could lose that in 1-2 bad sessions. I would NOT redeposit if this happened, so I am trying to be careful not to bust out. I have played for only about 4 hours so far and am up $15 with about 1/7 of the points I need to unlock money for withdrawl.

I had never played $1/$2 limit before this, but since it was free money to begin with I figured I would take the plunge.

I have found the skill level to be similar to .25/.50 limit at UB , but wondering if others have run into this while unlocking bonuses on slow/smaller sites.

[eddo31]

for many of the reasons that you stated, i think that the play is pretty similar to .25/.50 or .50/1. making the transitions between these stages is probably more dependent on initial bankroll, than it is skill level . if you are playing a little short for the level you are at, and there are no other real options for games, there really isnt much that you can do except play your best game and hope that you dont hit a dry spell. of course, if its free money that you are playing with anyways, this could be the best situation for you to figure out if you can handle 1/2.

[BlibbityBlabbity]

Thanks for reminding me....the other part of my question....

Does this also apply to live games. Since no casinos have < $1/$2 games, are these games similar to the lower limts at online sites?

As it stands, I will feel much better sitting into a live $1/$2 game than I would have last week.

[eddo31]

for the casinos that i have played poker in, the low limits generally play like low limits online. that means that the 2/4 at foxwoods, 3/6 at the mirage, 2/4-4/8 at imperial palace and 4/8 at bellagio generally play like low limits. the smallest games in the room will generally play very loose and passive. it obviously changes room to room, table to table, but in general you will find the gameplay to be similar.

you also dont quite need the same bankroll for live play, because you will play fewer hands per hour, and your variance should be smaller.

[PShabi]

I don't know where you're at, but at the 1/2 live tables in S. Florida, I look forward to up to 50 BB in a 4 hour period. That's a regular basis. They're terrible players.

[Jackass_man]

There is very little difference in skill between .25\50 and 1\2 limit. I wouldn't worry about the competition just make sure you don't bust yourself out because of not having enough bankroll. But if it's free $ go for it!

[Aequitas58]

What site are you talking about? Is it WORTH the deposit bonus? (IE: Are the requirements to get your free money even worth playing?)

AS I'm sure you already know, L and NL vary extremely. If you are having bankroll issues playing the minimum, I would stay away from NL. Yes, the odds of you "crippling" someone, trapping them, and taking all their money is much higher, you have to remember that the same thing can happen to you. The good part about NL is that the blinds are usually cheaper.

As for limit, the blinds are more expensive, but you can probably stay more within your means. You won't get hit with an all-in type bet, and as a result, you won't lose your whole bank on one shitty hand where your opponent hit his 2-outer. The obvious problem is that the blinds are more expensive, and you (turning the argument around) won't hit that really big hand.

So decide what's more important and decide how you play better. If you are a better NL player, and you don't have a lot of fear "pushing all in" then maybe you should play NL. Then again, if you're looking to clear a bonus and get out alive - maybe limit is the way to go.

As far as skill level, it's hard to answer. I think, for the most part, online poker players are better than the players you will find in B/M casinos. There is a BIG difference b/n the $15/30 online player and the $1/2 online player. But, I can't really say which player is better: the micro limit NL player, or the low limit L player.

I don't think it'll be a matter of how good they are, but how good YOU are. When you sit at a table with 8 or 9 other people there will be people better and worse than you.

G'luck.

[BlibbityBlabbity]

Didn't mean to be cryptic, started as a general question for a thread and then I started adding the info specific to me. Poker World is the site in question.

I am definetly talking about limit games, and this money is right on the edge of being WORTH unlocking. 6-7 months ago I placed well in their freerolls so I have $73.50 in there that I would like to get out. Their restriction for this is 10 hands for every $1 unlocked for withdrawl (735 hands). I actually did find one .50/$1 table almost full, but since every hand didn't qualify for the rake requirements (.50 minI think) it was slow getting the FPP. The $1/$2 is better for this as every hand qualifies.

As this is the first week I have played above .25/.50 (and a few .50/$1 sessions) I was just curious to confirm my forming opinion that the skill level was similar among those levels, if it is the lowest limit beingplayed at the site. My other times at .50/$1 were at UB and that didn't go as well moving up from .25/.50 (although this wasvery early in my poker playing).

At this point I agree with those that said since this is free money this is a good place to try/get used to playing at a higher limit. I am planning to give a live game a try (either at foxwoods or TurningStone) sometime soon, so this has taken some of the edge off. I was concerned trying a live game for first time AND jumping up levels in one step.

Thank you all for your thoughts

[GeoffM]

I found that playing above in limits helps me stay squeeky tight. I sometimes have the tendency to get bored and play every borderline hand that I come across, but if limits are higher, I usually stick to a successful script.

[2Tone]

I'm going to disagree with this one. I'm yet to find a B&M game nearly as loose as online play. Granted, I'm playing 2/4 at Party, which is about as loose as it gets, but in my experience, the Vegas B&M games, while still plenty profitable, don't have the same number of people calling with 10/7off. I can speak from experience about the Mirage, Luxor, & Mandalay Bay, but not yet about the Bellagio. Hopefully next trip.

[eddo31]

for the games that i have played in casinos, they have been very loose, but maybe a little bit tighter than online. but the difference between the two wasnt particularly significant. of course, there were significant differences between style of play depending upon the time of day. at night and on the weekends, the players were much younger, and they were looser. in the morning and afternoon, th eplayers were older and tighter.

[Penguinfan]

This is a good thread, and something I have been giving some thought to as far as my own play. Wondering if playing above my bankroll is actually the biggest flaw in my game? I mean you can't play any kind of agressive style if you are tight on cash, and you can't afford 1 losing session so you don't play your best game, right? I think I may try going backwards and playing 2 tables at once and see where that gets me.