2NL to 5NL differences... any advice?

So I'm taking baby steps at 5NL. I wonder if any of the CCers that have taken this step can offer some advice.

My current plan is similar to 2NL: no bluffs, value betting for the most part and the occasional semi-bluff IP against regs and betting for value and when I have equity when OOP and with initiative.

What I'm wondering is that if 5NL is just like 2NL with less fish and bigger stacks or if there's any particular difference, something I must be aware.

Thanks in advance!

There is actually a huge difference between the two limits. Your winrate will drop in half at least. But NL5 is still pretty easy. The biggest difference is probably the regs. There are more of them and they are much better on average. Fish are fish. But just use the same approach that you have had success with so far. I am sure you will be fine.

Its the same game, its roughly the same players, and its only slightly tougher.

Don't adjust, don't try to add anything to your game. Learn, stick with what you know, and maybe play a hair tighter just to keep your decisions easier. People often think new higher limits are tougher, but really its just their perception. Do not over adjust.

DO NOT OVER ADJUST.

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I wouldn't do anything different until you get to NL 10 or 25.

I don't really see any changes until you get to 25NL. I assume you are playing full ring. You will probably see better play at 10NL 6player.

I concur.

I found there was quite a bit of a difference. Mostly less fish (but there are still a lot), tighter tables and more aggression. Make sure you are comfortably rolled for it so you don't tilt you if you lose a few buy-ins. GL man

Agreed.

I also agree with what c9 said, more or less just carry on playing your game, cos if you're beating 2NL you'll beat 5NL just fine.

Do not play with scared money. The stacks look big, the bet sizes too, but you've got to ignore it.

Definitely is not a huge difference.

The games are still littered with fish and the regulars are still going to be straight forward, definitely not good players. As for the games being more aggressive, meh you can hardly call it aggression there will just be more regulars:fish, same game really altogether, people don't 3bet enough and people call 3bets too much.

Biggest obstacle to tackle is yourself, like C9 said, everyone thinks they have to change or something or that the games are going to get tougher. It's really only tougher because you will come across fish at a slower rate, (and not even much slower cause they're still everywhere!) Not because the regs are thinking players who are going to exploit you relentlessly.

Thank you all for your opinions. Let me through some topics pointed here:

BR

I learned a lesson on scared money in August. Never crossed my mind it had such an impact. Considering I want a >$100 BR for 5NL I'm over so no scared money is involved. Not to mention that I'm not fully focusing on 5NL and I'm constantly growing the BR with 2NL games. Anyway my plan is to focus more on 5NL with time and a >$140 BR.

Crowd

Maybe it's because the sample is small but I haven't found a lot of complete droolers that fill the 2NL tables. What I've found is lots of passive fish that make each hand very easy to play and regulars that still cbet, double and triple barrel way too much. I've found nits to be more aggressive.

Adjusting

Alright, point taken, I'll play my game. The first 5NL session was awful because I tried to be more aggressive... it back-fired. Since then I've been playing like I always do and it's been constantly positive so I guess that proves everyone's point.

Problems

I'm having a hard time looking at someone with $2.25 and not getting it's a shortstack. In the same line I'm having a hard time sorting odds with different stack sizes.

My problem with this is it is indeed stupid. When I play home games or when I gave SnGs a shot the stacks differed and blinds were different and I never felt lost like I do in some hands now. I played 2NL for sometime and that's not even money I'm playing with, it's just a numeric value I'm using mathematically. Maybe the size of the stacks is scaring me a bit, maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it.

read each post here and thought, 'yep, I agree with that', and I agree with that, so evry post here is valid. In my eperience, there's more regs at 5nl, and more competent regs. fish start at 2nl, most stay there, some have stabs at 5nl, but the regs at 2nl move up to 5nl and play the same game. Preflop raises get respected a tiny bit more at 5nl, but not enough you'd notice.
Oh, and regs appear more frequently at 5nl. good luck bud. oh yeah, and what cafeman says, dont play with scared money, if you worry about betting, the regs will see this, and bet wider.


RV can I link this to our monthly thread, it makes for very good reading by your comments and the excellent replies?

-Bigger difference i see is that players start to have a fold button, so steal actually get more important, in 2nl everyone call, so you have to raise really big or end with 3-5 people most of the time, in here the standard 3-4x make the job, so stealing succes is better. You will face more 3bets than in 2nl, and can 3bet more and people actually fold.

example:- You can steal more 3beting from Bb/Sb when CO/BTN make a obvious steal and expect a fold (in 2nl not so much).


Pretty much your FE go from zero in 2nl to have a number in 5nl. Aside from that, is just the ratio fish/nit what change.

Good thread about differences by stakes.

for 5nl
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...7&postcount=47

Can read all the thread if want is pretty interesting.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/32...nl100-1009841/

thanks logan will look mate!

There is 3$ difference, everything else is the same IMO

er. no way bud.

Imo it is much more difficult but just try to play the same. I crushed 2NL and really struggled with 5NL. Prepare to face more 3bets and more nits and a few more players who know how to play.

And LOL at 10NL not being much different. It's just tables full of nits swapping coolers.

I'm not finding it more difficult to play but rather more difficult to get value from. Does this make any sense to any of you guys?

Agree with that 100%, 10nl FR is DEFINITELY different to 5nl, so much so that I am not going to exclusively move up to 10nl and think i'm just going to carry on mixing tables, make easy $$ at 5nl to cover the times i get coolered at 10nl lol

i remember when i first played 5nl. I used to think the players were much more aggressive but really I was just scared.

Same thing as 2nl just different bet sizes.

Interesting... Today I'm finding them much more aggressive and I'm pretty sure I'm just scared.

Its been a while since I've played, but even 200nl wasn't like that.

Well I've played around 50k hands at 10NL this year on various networks and this is the current state of play

Why would you expect 200 NL to play anything like 10 NL?

Either you have terrible table selecting skills or you're lying

joking but really, they're looser than you think.

Try stars.fr

You have to have a separate account for pokerstars and stars.fr?

Yip

Hehe I was unable too set up my .fr account I tried a while ago. I table select a bit but the state of play on euro networks is nits or shortstackers, few fish imo at 10-50NL

Every time you move up you will notice, no matter micro or high stakes.

I don't really see any changes until you get to 25NL. I assume you are playing full ring. You will probably see better play at 10NL 6player.

Why are you just repeating what someone else has said?

If you don't know the answer to that, you don't read enough posts.

I don't really see any changes until you get to 25NL. I assume you are playing full ring. You will probably see better play at 10NL 6player.

Has anyone mentioned this already???

lol.


/end trolling.....

/And lying
25>10>>5>>>>>>>>>2 That's about the difference imo