There is increased aggression preflop, especially 3-bets IP vs MP/CO, and blinds play back at CO/BTN opens more. Cash game this increased aggression preflop is minimal, but in Zone it's pretty significant. You will also get bluffed a lot more often and floated in both Zone and cash. I also think to a certain degree players pay off less lightly, especially in Zone. People don't call 3-barrels too often with TPNK, TPDK, 2nd pair, bottom pair, etc. Zone is generally harder, and the players there are more solid there than the cash game players.
I play 2 Zone 2 cash 50NL. I just play at night when Zone is available and log off when there's less than 30 players and it becomes short-handed. 25NL feels like play money for me now tbh, and I'm nowhere near rolled for 100NL. 4 cash game tables is too slow for me. I'm trying to move up to 100NL asap so I can make some decent cash and play whenever I want. It's a hassle having to wait until nighttime to play, and I would usually prefer to play in the afternoon or evening.
Just wondering, what's your bankroll atm? And can you post graphs/stats? If you're winning at 5bb/100 at 25NL you might be a slightly winning player/a little above breakeven at 50NL. What was your sample size?
My red line is alright. It used to be terrible at 25NL even though I had a good winrate. I've upped my 3-betting range vs BTN/CO opens from the blinds, and my 3-bets from BTN/CO vs MP/CO. I don't like 3-betting UTG IP light at all because with their stronger range I am much more likely to get flatted or 4-bet than say vs MP/CO.
Also what helped my redline a ton was
bluff-raising flops heads-up, mostly from the blinds. I make it about the size of the pot or size of pot + 1 or 2 bb. Needs to work about 50% of the time to profit. When an UTG/BTN/SB raises or min-raises, and c-bets J72, they're not really repping much. And in general people can't have monsters or that many
hands that can withstand a flop raise very often. Especially when they do this feeler half-pot bet, and it looks like they're trying to steal.
I personally prefer bluff-raising over floating/taking a card off in most situations because it denies them the opportunity to double barrel/pick up
equity on the turn. Also floats go can go wrong when they call your turn bet with 2nd pair/TPNK when it seems kinda obvious to be floating such a board.
If have an overcard/FD or a combo draw I'm just flatting. I don't want to get 3-bet on the flop or have to fold to a jam. Be careful with bluff-raises though once you get called. Unless you catch a 2-outer with your pair of ducks or a gutshot, just give up. Don't barrel off on a scare card like a K/A unless there are no flush draws.