newbie here: low vs high(er) stakes?

i've just started playing poker online for about a week now (i've played it before, but casually) and people keep telling me that games like $20 SnG are easier to play than $1 SnG. just want to know if there's any truth to that.

anyway i have kept some statistics of my games, and here are some:

$1 super turbo SnG:

wins: 37
losses: 41


$5 turbo SnG:

wins: 7
losses: 1

clearly my sample size for the $5 is way too low, but how true is the above? also, how do these statistics compare with other new players?

People have been telling you lies - $1 SnGs are a bazillion times softer than the $20 games. Literally a bazillion.

thanks for your reply. do you have any comments about super turbo vs regular SnG?

Interesting.

Well, from my POV I don't think there is much of a difference between $1-$5 but never ventured enough in to $20.00 SnG's to say but I'm guessing $20.00 are a lot more difficult.

People have an understanding, quite a good one these days of EV. I wouldn't fancy experemting though, unless you have the money too. Try grind your way up, time will tell. If you can afford $5.00, play these - they are just as fishy as $1.00 in my eyes, as recreational players do play $1/$5 maybe even $10 recreational as more of a thrill than $1.00 for example.

I'd even go as high to say some will play up to $20.00 recreational, as I had done in the past (not big sample size at all) and I can't even remember how good/bad they was, I know I was much worse player though back then.

I certainly wouldn't suggest playing them if you're new to the game though and plan on building a BR as you're missing out on vital stuff in the lower limits.

Not from experience unfortunately - I don't think I've ever played more than a handful of super turbos. "Regular" turbo STTs are my usual game.

In theory though the super turbos are all about having a very good push/fold short stack game. If that doesn't sound like you yet it's probably best to stick to the regular games. And FWIW it's around the $11 level that I've noticed your average opponents really start improving.

[X] Oz has been through there, knows what he's talking about.

Definitely the 1 dollar and just think of the volume. Look into good BR management. Is it just me or are there a lot of new players asking if they should play above their BR?

FWIW the quicker you can get out of the $1 games and into at least the $2 games the better because the % of rake you're paying in relation to the buyin goes down (on Full Tilt anyway, IIRC most other major sites are the same).

That's not to say you should violate good bankroll management or anything, just don't stay at the $1 level longer than you have to. If you've got about $100 you should be fine to take a shot at the $2 games, which unless they've changed markedly since I last played them should be almost as soft as the $1s.

I've played almost all limits of online poker, but found my highest ROI in low stakes games.

The reason players advocate playing higher is because the truth is, it requires two completely different skill sets to beat higher games and lower games.

In lower games players don't adhere to sound strategy and as a result, many players have no idea how to go about handling opponents who seem to have no rhyme or reason for their play. While at the higher games, the players do tend to use some type of strategy and it makes them 'seem' easier to play against.

But this is not the case, if you are sitting at a higher buy-in game where all of your opponents understand how to play optimal strategies, even though you know what they are doing, it's going to be much harder to exploit them than it would be to exploit a table full of donkeys who can't fold top pair.

The problem for most players in low-limit games is they fail to properly exploit their opponents because they are too busy trying to play 'correctly'. For example, in some low-limit situations open raising 20x the BB with pocket aces from UTG is the best play or over shoving all-in on a 50 chips pot with your whole stack of 1500. Obviously this is not always the case.

The trick is to learn how to identify these situations and learn to exploit these opponents, once you learn how to do this and see that you can use seemingly 'rediculous' plays to get maximum payouts (and in turn profit) on lower limit players, you will quickly realize why these games are profitable. Because you won't be able to make brash moves like this and exploit opponents in such obvious ways in higher limit games.

Hope that helps a bit.

Also you can view this thread for more information:
Online Poker Tournament Strategies for Low-Limit Players

Like everyone said... bankroll management

Def not as already been stated. your ROI should be highest at the lowest stakes. Tho I have heard some people say they can't take playing the lowstakes seriously.

all you need to do against weak players on lower tables is play tight, and go in with premium cards (wish i could stick to my own advice) higher limits are a whole different ballgame, if you don't know what you're doing or don't have proper bankroll management you'll get destroyed

It would be very reckless to move to higher levels until improve on these numbers:

The $1's are far softer than the $5's, & the $5's are softer than the $20's. Generally speaking you get a few regular players in the $2's even, then maybe 3-4 in the $5's, 4-5 in the $10's & $20's (I'm referring to 'reg.' speed on FTP). {if a player doesn't notice a difference in the play between the $1's & the $5's, I'd suggest they suck at the games themselves to not be able to see the difference).
For a rookie starting out, trust me, in the longrun the good players will be absolutely crushing you in the $10+ (& likely in the $5's too).
There's a bit more to it than meets the eye at first.
Also, there's no comparison between super turbo's <$3 & reg. or turbo's above that. (or even super turbos at $7 compared to the $3's.. there's a BIG difference in the play in them).

It depends on what kind of player you, yourself are. If you are an experienced player who knows all the nuances of poker and know how to take advantage of weaker players, then naturally you will say that the lower buy-ins (eg. $1 - $5) are much easier. However, if you are just starting out or have only been playing a relatively short time, but have been gradually learning, then you will say that as the buyins increase, the games are better, and you will enjoy playing against better players more than in the lower levels against a pile of donks. I feel there is a difference between the $1, $3, $5, $10 buy-in S n G's, but even in the $5 games there can be idiots. eg, In my last game (early stage) my raise with KK got called by 76o and I lost 80% of my stack to a full huse - but eventually the donk got knocked out and I ended up cashing (this was a DON S n G by the way).