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Should I Play Higher Stakes?

edited April 2010 in The Poker Clinic
I've been playing a few months now mostly low stakes cash/SAGs and the odd MTT. I'm pretty much break-even over 6 months, but I'm getting increasingly frustrated by loose calls that hit a big river. Example:

Dealt K9 Suited in Big Blind

Flop 10-K-Q so I bet out 3/4 pot with Pr Ks and Gut Shot Straight awith no over cards and no flush.

Called.

Turn K, so I bet out pot, re-raised all-in. I call (I have chips back)

Player turns over J7 off suit. Flop comes, and you guessed it -  an Ace on the River for their straight.

Only one example, but I have had too many of these recently with all-in raises on the flop with utter junk, only to hit on the river.

I wanted to "play" my way through to higher stakes, but now feel my game is being held back by bad beats from LAGs.

Now don't all say "Yes Fishy, com play with the big boys!!!", I'm not that stupid.

But is there an argument for testing your game out a few steps up the ladder and seing how it holds out without actually having gone into profit at the lower levels.




Comments

  • edited April 2010
    do the opposite... drop down until you start winning.
  • edited April 2010
    Really???

    Won't I run into even looser play.
  • edited April 2010
    They say play the opposite of the table, so if everyone is loose then play tight, if you can't beat bad players why would you be able to beat good players?

    the hand you posted was obviously a bad beat, but you did want to get it all in there against that guy, if you played higher then the guy would of probably folded and you would of won a small pot but then you wouldn't be in the situation of being a big favourite to win a big pot...

    you get bad loose players at low stakes, good loose players out higher stakes... moving up stakes players will not get tighter... they will get better. Best bet is definately to find a level you can comfortably beat, no shame in dropping right down. Atm you are breaking even... so maybe the level below what you are playing you can beat comfortably? Or stay at the level you are and as you continue to break even im sure you will also improve as a player and will eventually be able to beat it... as long as you aren't losing you can't go wrong, but play higher and you will lose... so many people have made this mistake.
  • edited April 2010


    In ten years time Blackfish will have 10 years grinding experience at NL10 and below - and ten million pounds in the bank to show for it. Maybe then he might feel comfortable moving up to a 'higher' NL20 game.

    Go for it mate - move up the levels and see how you get on, just dont go nuts and blow loads of money - If you play and lose money for a few weeks, move back down and work on ya game.


  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Should I Play Higher Stakes?:
    They say play the opposite of the table, so if everyone is loose then play tight, if you can't beat bad players why would you be able to beat good players? the hand you posted was obviously a bad beat, but you did want to get it all in there against that guy, if you played higher then the guy would of probably folded and you would of won a small pot but then you wouldn't be in the situation of being a big favourite to win a big pot... you get bad loose players at low stakes, good loose players out higher stakes... moving up stakes players will not get tighter... they will get better. Best bet is definately to find a level you can comfortably beat, no shame in dropping right down. Atm you are breaking even... so maybe the level below what you are playing you can beat comfortably? Or stay at the level you are and as you continue to break even im sure you will also improve as a player and will eventually be able to beat it... as long as you aren't losing you can't go wrong, but play higher and you will lose... so many people have made this mistake.
    Posted by BlackFish3
    +1 agree

    You most likely will be a loosing player if you move up, you could possibly be a winner at the level above as your game might suit that level better but to become a better poker player you need to adapt your game to beat all different types of opposition.

    Im not sure what stakes you are playing but by the sounds of it you would be a winning player by playing abc poker and VALUE BETTING!!!
  • edited April 2010
    Appreciate the comments.

    i do play ABC and try to get a read on the table and adapt my style accordingly. In the example above I was playing TAG and trying to max the payout on a passive table, then shut the hand down once I had the 3Ks on the turn.

    If the general concensus is a better player will win through at any level and badbeats happen whatever, I'll try both options and let you know how I get on.
  • edited April 2010
    Hi
    It depends if you've got the necassary bankroll to move up the levels
    col
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Should I Play Higher Stakes?:
    Hi It depends if you've got the necassary bankroll to move up the levels col
    Posted by mr_mbro
    Well I do, but my plan was always to play through. Think Rich Orford tried this last year??? But all went quiet very quickly, so susspect wasn't v. successful.

    Just out of curiosity, do any of you hi-rollers ever drop down to low stakes and if so, how do you fare?
  • edited April 2010

     according to sharkscope if you only play on skypoker your definition of breaking even and mine are slightly different. if you also play on other sites then you may well be breaking even. as blackfish says ( no i didnt think id ever type that either) moving up on you current roi doesnt look like a great idea to me i had the good fortune to play against a few of those i would consider top mtt players on here on the posters freeroll a few times and these guys are extremly good and i will honestly say i got owned. if you are frustrated by loose calls perhaps its the type of structures you playing. try the £3 orfordable deepstack on fri,sat,sun 7pm or £5 forum deepie on tuesdays theres also one tonight at 7pm
    obviously you cash results might balance you figures as you first said and im only a mtt player but unless your showing a big plus in the roi box at the level you a playing at moving up is not the path i would take.
    good luck on whichever path you choose to follow

  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Should I Play Higher Stakes?:
     according to sharkscope if you only play on skypoker your definition of breaking even and mine are slightly different. if you also play on other sites then you may well be breaking even. as blackfish says ( no i didnt think id ever type that either) moving up on you current roi doesnt look like a great idea to me i had the good fortune to play against a few of those i would consider top mtt players on here on the posters freeroll a few times and these guys are extremly good and i will honestly say i got owned. if you are frustrated by loose calls perhaps its the type of structures you playing. try the £3 orfordable deepstack on fri,sat,sun 7pm or £5 forum deepie on tuesdays theres also one tonight at 7pm obviously you cash results might balance you figures as you first said and im only a mtt player but unless your showing a big plus in the roi box at the level you a playing at moving up is not the path i would take. good luck on whichever path you choose to follow
    Posted by BADBOY985
    Im sure they play mostly cash as 57 games over a 6month period is not very much at all,neway they have a better roi than me....saying that i probably have the worst roi on this site lol
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Should I Play Higher Stakes?:
     according to sharkscope if you only play on skypoker your definition of breaking even and mine are slightly different. i
    Posted by BADBOY985
    I play elsewhere under different names, but I like Sky for the odd game and the Forum is good.

    But thanks for the responses.
  • edited April 2010
    In terms of sng's your last 7 DYM's have ranged from £1.15 - £5.50. I've started playng dym's again recently and I have found it a lot better if I commit to playing one level for a perid of time or more importantly games. If I was you I would first drop down a level to 60p DYM's and play 50 then see what your profit is at that level. After that slowly move up but make sure you are always laying 50-100 before moving up. Bad runs can happen, amazingly when I started back at 60p level I lost 7 out of 11 but managed to turn it round and stopped after getting to 33 to 17.

    Big advice would be make sure you can beat a level before moving up. ;)
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Should I Play Higher Stakes?:
    IIf I was you I would first drop down a level to 60p DYM's and play 50 then see what your profit is at that level.
    Posted by Dudeskin8
    Cheers all for the advice. I enjoy the game, more when I'm winning obviously, but I don't want to run before I can walk and I definitely want to ensure my game is going in the right direction before I progress, if that makes sense???

    Dudeskin8, cheers for that, that works for me.
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