When to move from $3/$6 to $6/$12? |
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Posted Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:40 pm GMT by AviD
Hey all, new to the forum...thought I'd drop a line and ask a Q.
I've been playing Hold Em for about 6 months or so now, and doing decent. I played online a bit when I started and lost a bit, feeling as if I was missing a big element of the game...playing face to face.
So, I started playing at the casinos and that face to face element definitely allows me to make better decisions during game play. Since playing in casinos, I've been winning consistently...but have been sitting pretty low limit at $3/$6.
I feel like I'm ready to move up to $6/$12 (no $5/$10 available), but also realize the quality of players increases. I figure I'll sit very tight and feel out the players for a bit. I guess the main question is...do you worry about the stakes or just play your game? Whenever I sit $3/$6, even though I've only played for 6 months, I evaluate the field and feel I am one of the stronger players at the table. I play tight-aggressive and study the game hard...each day and each session getting better and better both at reading players, understanding the mechanics of the game, analyzing pots odds/hand odds, etc.
I guess the main reason I want to move up is the obvious...more money. I feel like sitting for 8+ hour sessions at a casino, grinding it out...waiting for playable hands, only to win maybe $200 is tough. Granted, I can't argue with leaving money up...but feel with the way I'm playing I'd like to be up more.
Am I getting greedy or realizing I should elevate my game and get in the bigger game(s)?
Am I just getting over confident due to a few good sessions? Perhaps I should stick with $3/$6 for a few more sessions and see how things roll?
When do you actually "know" you are ready to bump up the stakes? I'd imagine the fact that I'm even questioning it may be a sign that I am not ready. Afterall, I've only been playing for 6 months (which is basically what's weighing on my mind), but also know that I study the game hard, learn things (poker and beyond) extremely fast, and have always had good insight into people (psychology) long before I was playing poker.
Again, overly-confident...or ready?
What do you all think?
BTW, I realize many of you probably player much higher stake games than I am right now...I'm just new to the game and wondering how and when you all decided to move up.
Thanks for the feedback!
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Posted Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:49 pm GMT by Dave B
It is the same game, give it a try. One thing-if you get blown out right away, it may just be a bad run, so dont get discouraged. At the same time, if you win big, you may not be that smart either. The reason for players stepping up is varied. They might have just won big and are taking a shot at a higher game, they might be rich and dont get a thrill from smaller tables, they might love the chance for a $400 pot or they might be like you.
At the card club where I play they have a bad beat jackpot. When that sucker gets hit, either all the players move to higher stakes or they play loose and wild at the same level. Either way, it makes for some interesting games if you can get move in with them.
Posted Wed Nov 26, 2003 6:19 pm GMT by karasz
Never worry about the blinds... if you are going to sit there and worry about the $12 bet on the turn you arent ready to move up yet.
true the players will get better but hey, take a bankroll and go try it...
worst case scenario is you lose, then you go back to the 3-6 tables, and start all over again..
Posted Wed Nov 26, 2003 7:17 pm GMT by mindgame
Started at $5/10 (nothing lower) and after a bumpy start I rolled my $500 bankroll (too small to begin with) up to $2300 in about 12 sessions. Word is you need a $5000 bankroll for $10/20, because one bad day can easily cost even a great player $1000. But I got to $2300 and thought I'd sit in on a game and give it a shot. I got pretty lucky and had almost a $600 win in a 3 and a half hours--didn't have much more time than that.
Well that hooked me bad. The pots are so damn big it hard to go back down. I won the next time out...then got into a "gunslinger" game and bled most of it back--too proud to admit I was being outplayed. Hell, I was just being played.
Since then I've picked my games better and have the succession of wins and I'm up to $3100. However, my hourly rate is down. So I was beating the smaller game and I'm still learning the bigger one. Maybe when I finally get the 5 g's I'm supposed to have in the first place I'll feel less as though my back's to the wall and play better. But this helped a lot....
Don't think about the size of the bet. You just can't make a $60 call correctly if you're sweating the fact that it's almost 2 hours' pay (or 55 cans of tuna or whatever). Scale it back to the size you know. Put it into perspective. I spent years playing $1-$2 poker. Now I just ignore the zeros on $10/20. When I'm $170 down I remind myself that it's like being down $17 buck in a $1/2 game. That's nothing. And down $500 is only like being down 50 bucks. That's two pots, maybe less. You have to not get rattled or you can't play the stakes. It's that simple.
Good luck.
Posted Wed Nov 26, 2003 8:11 pm GMT by karasz
| mindgame wrote: | I spent years playing $1-$2 poker. Now I just ignore the zeros on $10/20. When I'm $170 down I remind myself that it's like being down $17 buck in a $1/2 game. That's nothing. And down $500 is only like being down 50 bucks. That's two pots, maybe less. You have to not get rattled or you can't play the stakes. It's that simple.
Good luck. |
see thats good... to a point, like its great that it wont rattle ya cuz hell whats 17 bucks... but its when you hit your down $1000, and think well its only a hundred...
dont let it rattle ya, but dont forget how much it really is either
Posted Sun Nov 30, 2003 2:46 pm GMT by cartoon
| Quote: | | Word is you need a $5000 bankroll for $10/20, because one bad day can easily cost even a great player $1000 |
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with 5000$, you should start playing 15/30 or 80/160 8)
Posted Mon Dec 01, 2003 12:19 pm GMT by mindgame
Wow! I couldn't do that. Don't have the balls to risk the whole bankroll like that. I've worked 4 months now and I've nursed my $500 stake up to (as of Sunday morning) $3601.00 Now I am not about to drop that and have to pony up another $500 and crawl back through the trenches.
I'm working the $10/20 game and starting to scope the $20/40. Still learning the tougher (as compared to $5/10) game. I'm actually well in my comfort zone now in $10/20 and made over $50/hour this last weekend. A lot of that is learning to pick the game and getting to know who the "regulars" are--guys making a living at the poker room who are tough, sharp cookies. When I find a game full of new faces, baby that's money in the bank.
But REALLY, everything I've read says the $10/20 bankroll is $5000. I may try a couple "scouting" visits after that to the $20/40 table, but I'll bide my time. My goal is that $20/40 table and $800-$1200/week on 2 to three visits. But that's only your basic, professional, 1 1/2 big bets/hour (=$60/hr) for 2 or 3 six or seven hour poker sessions. My impression is that enough impatient high rollers come into that game trying to "hit" as though it were the craps or roulette table. Even if you can't beat the game because the pros are too tough, you can wait for the fish and beat the table.
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