At a crossroads..

Hi, about a month ago I deposited 40 dollars into pokerstars with the aim of grinding 2NL and playing the odd small buyin tournament until I built it up to 100 dollars when I would then attempt to try 5NL. Yesterday I managed that goal with a winrate I was very happy with at 2NL so I decided to attempt 5NL. It was a complete disaster, every table seemed full of multitabling regs and barely any fish which was a surprise coming up from 2nl where there'd usually be 2-3 fish per table to target. (I do tableselect)

Early on I was happy with my play despite being down a bit but I tilted a bit near the end after losing against a few horrible river cards and definitely didn't play my optimal game towards the end but managed to stick to my BR management and leave when I was down to about 75 dollars. I didn't run great and my usual 2NL game didn't work at all, I was constantly exploited by regs and every time I fought back I always found myself behind. I also noticed I kept checking my losses a lot on Hold Em Manager and getting frustrated over it which made me play worse, something which had not bothered me at 2NL. I had cut out tilt and worrying about losses when playing 2NL and just accepting it as I knew I could make my money back from the fish when they beat me. However at 5NL I think it was the notion that I was being beaten by better players and would find it difficult to get my money back that sent me over the edge a bit.

Anyways after losing that I managed to get lucky and bink a 1 dollar 180 man hyper turbo for 40 dollars, was grinding 2NL at the same time so was using winnings from that to pay for entries. Now I'm up to 110 dollars but not sure where to go next. I'm dreading the thought of going back to 5NL and instead was thinking of targeting sit and goes instead, though not sure which would best suit my bankroll. Long story short my question is should I try playing 5NL again, my first experience has put me off a bit but I don't want to give up on it either, I know if I can't beat 5NL regs and beat 5NL with a decent winrate I wont make it far! Or should I target sit and goes? I've always enjoyed tournaments more so S&G is ideal in that regard, but I haven't much experience with playing them. Any advice?

Remain Posative

Yess contunue $5 sng If you loose then you go back one level. If you win move up a level . And when you start running good mix in some mtt

Were you instantly successful the first time you played 2NL...IMO if your goal is to handle 5NL like you do 2NL you have to head back to it...as long as you leave when your BR tells you...it didnt take you long to make that hit back plus...gl

100 is only 20 buyins at 5nl. I would grind to 200 and then hit 5nl. Playing with a smaller percentage of your BR will mean its less likely to be "scared money". you should then be able to relax a bit more and play your A game.

starting_at_the_bottom said:

100 is only 20 buyins at 5nl. I would grind to 200 and then hit 5nl. Playing with a smaller percentage of your BR will mean its less likely to be "scared money". you should then be able to relax a bit more and play your A game.

Click to expand...

yupp

+ I doubt 5nl regs are exploiting you, all the regs at 5nl are pretty new to the game as well they just play tighter than the fish you're used to.

also table select some more.

I also have a suggestion:

I agree with what another member said about it being unlikely to encounter skilled players in $5nl. However, if you did- I would suggest a tweak to your strategy.

You have to remain deceptive and unpredictable against players who are paying attention. Solid ABC poker works well for $2nl, but maybe not against better players.

Perhaps show a well-timed bluff, or balance your raising and 3-betting ranges with suited connectors or some other speculative hands once in a while. ABC players are very predictable. You simply need to mix it up a bit.

And finally, it can be overstated how important position is. You should avoid getting into pots OOP with marginal hands against skilled players.

Tight is right, but mix it up a bit to keep better players guessing.

This is only my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.

I have played a lot of 5nl on Stars and there really are tonnes of fish. At off peak times it can be hard to find many decent tables but at peak times it's a goldmine. There are quite a few nitty regs as well but their play is straightforward so you learn when you need to fold, and how to exploit them. Remember fish on your right, nits on your left

I would stick with 2NL until you have at least 200 - 300 then try the 5NL again

I am not able to edit my last post.

I meant to say "It can NOT be overstated how important position is".

There. I feel better now for correcting the typo.

There's always an adjustment period for me, whether I'm playing a different site or a different buy-in level. New people to take notes on, etc.

Play in the 180 man $ 2.20 sit-n-gos great game