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Should I Play Higher Stakes?
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.
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
Won't I run into even looser play.
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.
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!!!
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.
It depends if you've got the necassary bankroll to move up the levels
col
Just out of curiosity, do any of you hi-rollers ever drop down to low stakes and if so, how do you fare?
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
But thanks for the responses.
Big advice would be make sure you can beat a level before moving up.
Dudeskin8, cheers for that, that works for me.