differences between 50/1 and ½?

[Breaking Liberty 0]

I’m almost there, only a $100 more to go and I will have $600 in my BR that I worked up from playing the .50/1 tables in the last three weeks.So as I prepare to move into a new level I am wondering, what are some of the differences in play?How do these players play as opposed to the .50/1 players? Better? Tighter? Looser? More aggressive? More passive?I would greatly appreciate any and all insight that anyone has into what the ½ tables are like and how to play them. Any help you have to offer is appreciated. I want to be able to know as much as possible about these tables before I get my feet wet so I can do the best to control any learning downswings I might have. Thanks in advance.

[Jordan 1]

just play poker. you really don't need to worry about playing the player till you get up in the 10/20 range and higher. Seriously.- Jordan

[BIG_L_RIP 0]

I assume you mean online...B&M 1/2 games vary greatly from table to table. last weekend at the Taj, a raise to say $8 preflop forced the entire table to fold. Jumped tables, you'd conceivably get 4 callers to raises of $40 and above. Played even beyond a $2/$5 game. Quite amazing.

[Jordan 1]

I assume you mean online...B&M 1/2 games vary greatly from table to table. last weekend at the Taj, a raise to say $8 preflop forced the entire table to fold. Jumped tables, you'd conceivably get 4 callers to raises of $40 and above. Played even beyond a $2/$5 game. Quite amazing.

OP is talking limit hold em'and still, as i said, don't worry about "varying skill levels from 2/4 to 3/6"most players still suck. it's about table selection.stop thinking, oh my 2/4 to 3/6, there are going to be so many great winning players. it's not true, just play poker, and the results should come.you really don't need to worry about over-agg, tricky, type players till you are getting into more medium stake games....5/1 - 1/2 is still going to be a jopke. as is 3/6 to most 5/10 games.but still...table selection, it's simple at these low stakes. don't make the game harder than it is.- Jordan

[Mattnxtc 0]

1/2 is and will always be a breeze...the only difference between .5/1 and 1/2 is that you make more when you beat them...skill wise its just as poor

[BIG_L_RIP 0]

my fault. I don't play either 1) online 2) limit so perhaps I shouldn't have responded at all. Sorry gents.

[guinevar 0]

I’m almost there, only a $100 more to go and I will have $600 in my BR that I worked up from playing the .50/1 tables in the last three weeks.

All the players at 1/2 have their own island already.Booyah.

[DCWildcat 0]

I disagree. A lot.On party, 1/2 averages 10-15% fewer people the flop on average. That's a big difference in your overall winrate. Aggression is about the same, but you miss bets preflop.Also, party's games are horribly overrated. Much fishier games are out there.

[speedz99 145]

Ok, I just made the transition recently, and you can ignore everyone that says there is no difference. The players are still bad, but in a different way...so while you should have the same result, that doesn't mean you don't need to adjust a bit.From my experience, the players at 1-2 are marginally tighter, and definately more aggressive. Don't expect to be able to limp in EP with a low/mid pp or suited Ax without having to give up another bet to see the flop. You will definately still get a lot of chasers regardless of odds. Don't be afraid to go for the value bets on the river, though...it makes you money in the long run. Also, I have found that the bet/fold line is much more valuable at 1-2.One mistake I made when I moved up is that I thought there would be bluffing...there isn't. You need to give someone credit for a hand if they are showing a lot of aggression. It's still ABC poker, but you do need to adjust for the slightly higher aggression factor.

[speedz99 145]

I disagree. A lot.On party, 1/2 averages 10-15% fewer people the flop on average. That's a big difference in your overall winrate. Aggression is about the same, but you miss bets preflop.Also, party's games are horribly overrated. Much fishier games are out there.

Where?(that's a serious question)

[DCWildcat 0]

I disagree. A lot.On party, 1/2 averages 10-15% fewer people the flop on average. That's a big difference in your overall winrate. Aggression is about the same, but you miss bets preflop.Also, party's games are horribly overrated. Much fishier games are out there.

Where?(that's a serious question)

Sorry, I should have explained that further.1. Pacific Poker. Nobody comes close to pacific in terms of softness. 80% to the flop isn't uncommon (compare that with 40-50% on Party). Problem is, you can only play one table. I'm thinking of humping 1/3 or 1/4 of my bankroll over there, and playing one table there while I multitable others.2. PokerRoom. Not as soft as pacific, but still much softer than party and skins. You can multitable, their bonuses are nice, their software is nice, and they have great customer support. You can always fine a game there, too.3. Crypto sites. I've only played Interpoker, but at least at the lower limits (.25/5 through 1/2), this is a gold mine. Unfortunately, once you get to about 2/4 you run into a rock garden, as people there are almost all bonus whores. Once you hurdle 3/6 or so, I hear it gets softer, but I'm not sure.In general, sites connected to casinos (and ones that place a lot of their advertising on the casinos rather than the poker rooms) are good since the gamblers come over to try cards every once in a while.

[DCWildcat 0]

How do these players play as opposed to the .50/1 players? Better? Tighter? Looser? More aggressive? More passive?I would greatly appreciate any and all insight that anyone has into what the ½ tables are like and how to play them.

Hump on over to www.twoplustwo.com 's micro's forum. Best advice you're likely to find for these games.In general, to sustain a similar winrate moving from .5/1 to 1/2 and 2/4, you need to:1) Really sharpen postflop play. Hand ranges and reads become much more relevant here. 2) Do 1)3) Do 1)4) Be willing to push more marginal situations preflop. Blind stealing actually exists. You'll do much more raising with 77-99 in late position with 1 or no limpers ahead of you, for example. And do 1).Also, the most important thing you can realize is that SSHE loses a degree of its applicability here. You'll often be at tables with VP$IP between 28 and 35, not the 40 and 50 of .5/1. SSHE's advice is geared toward small casino games, which are much looser and more passive than even 1/2 online. So learn from internet discussion.

[TheCinciKid 0]

just play poker. you really don't need to worry about playing the player till you get up in the 10/20 range and higher. Seriously.- Jordan

I think this is bad advice. For one thing saying "just play poker" then saying that doesn't include playing the player is a total contradiction. If you have pokertracker and GT+, you'll see that there are different types of players in even a $1/$2 game and you can play to exploit their tendencies. As far as the OP's question is concerned, I'm playing $1/$2 myself right now, and the biggest differences I've noticed from $.5/$1 is that it is tighter and more aggressive as a whole. Some of the weak drawing hands that you might limp with from EP in a loose passive $.5/$1 game aren't worth it at 1/2, b/c you could end up with a raised pot or a very small one. Still plenty of donkeys, they just tend to be a little more aggressive at times. Oh, and I know this runs counter to what I just said, but you also see a lot more folding on the turn and river (less hands make it all the way to showdown).

[Jordan 1]

just play poker. you really don't need to worry about playing the player till you get up in the 10/20 range and higher. Seriously.- Jordan

I think this is bad advice. For one thing saying "just play poker" then saying that doesn't include playing the player is a total contradiction. If you have pokertracker and GT+, you'll see that there are different types of players in even a $1/$2 game and you can play to exploit their tendencies. As far as the OP's question is concerned, I'm playing $1/$2 myself right now, and the biggest differences I've noticed from $.5/$1 is that it is tighter and more aggressive as a whole. Some of the weak drawing hands that you might limp with from EP in a loose passive $.5/$1 game aren't worth it at 1/2, b/c you could end up with a raised pot or a very small one. Still plenty of donkeys, they just tend to be a little more aggressive at times. Oh, and I know this runs counter to what I just said, but you also see a lot more folding on the turn and river (less hands make it all the way to showdown).

that's just standard random player shit...the play from 1/2 to 3/6 isn't going to be much different. YEA INCLUDE READS AT ALL TIMES.But playing abc limit poker at small stakes isn't hard, nor is deviation from it needed..because at this level so many players suck, you don't need to be fancy. It takes time, determination to be a winner at in the long run...not trying to figure out the small differences between 1/2 and 2/4..cuz there really is hardly one there.play enough and you'll agree...if you dont, sorry you are all just wrong.- Jordan

[mrdannyg 274]

playing 1/2 at party is not a great thing to do. i played my way up from 0.5/1, but more or less skipped the 1/2 stage, and i recommend it to most. for whatever reason, the 1/2 game plays far more difficultly than 0.5/1. it is a big jump. having said that, the 2/4 game does not play all that differently from 1/2, and i believe is significantly more beatable than 1/2. i would recommend staying at 0.5/1 for another couple of weeks, playing over at pacific for awhile (at 1/2) and maybe bonus whoring a bit to work your way up to the necessary bankroll for 2/4.good luck,daniel

[DCWildcat 0]

playing 1/2 at party is not a great thing to do.  i played my way up from 0.5/1, but more or less skipped the 1/2 stage, and i recommend it to most.  for whatever reason, the 1/2 game plays far more difficultly than 0.5/1.  it is a big jump. having said that, the 2/4 game does not play all that differently from 1/2, and i believe is significantly more beatable than 1/2.  i would recommend staying at 0.5/1 for another couple of weeks, playing over at pacific for awhile (at 1/2) and maybe bonus whoring a bit to work your way up to the necessary bankroll for 2/4.good luck,daniel

i think it was the implementation of 6-max at 1/2 that hardened th games up there

[Mattnxtc 0]

i agree...i played last night had 4 tables going at 1/2 and only could find 2 tables that were above 30 vpip. I had to leave several tables that were droppin down into the teens vpip wise. Party is starting to become a rock garden....the rumor is that there is a way to play more than one table on pacific...any truth to this?

[LewFather 0]

Reading players is important but when I'm playing so micro like just recently at PokerFantasy I hardly even pay attention and I still slaughter the table at .25/.50 LHE.

[Actuary 3]

more maniacshigher table ave pfr %but like Jordan says, not enough diffeence to worry about.I datamine 1/2 exclusively now and started doing it before I played there.I'd advise doing that if you are ever not playing 4 tables... you can open a 1/2 and PT will read in the Hands even if yuo are not seated there.