5/10 Update: Day One [The Fish Rise]
 

Just thought I would update everyone. I did make the climb. I played a single table of 5/10. My initial thoughts were about the same as 3/6. This level contains alot of people who are better than me, but also a fair share of fishy play. Either that or I do not know these guys advanced techniques of playing J8o with a pre-flop raise, and 3 or 4 callers. Or playing Q3 and running it to the river when you hit you Q! Nice way to lose alot of money! In my opinion there were 4-5 fish on my 10 person table last night.

It seems like people REALLY like to bluff 3-BET in 5/10. I really like that. I mean K9 bets, and Q8 raises when an Ace hits the flop. Is that a good move? Who know's, maybe I just cannot comprehend the expert play I am seeing.

I do not expect all 5/10 tables to be THIS bad. I assume there will be better players up against me and less fish. So far though, I like it. I guess I will take money from the fish and pass it on to the big sharks.

I ended the night a little early. I wanted to leave the tables with a good feeling about the night, even if this means nothing long term. I ended with a $73 profit. This is less than I make on two tables 3/6 per night, but it is a modestly good night. Will update you with Day Two!

What site are you playing on?

Empire
 

I almost exclusivly play on Empire Poker which is a Party Poker/Intertops skin. I love it. It seems pretty soft. Again I only played one night.

Damn, can't wait until I am comfortable enough with my bankroll to play those limits. I'm moving to the $2/$4 soon I think, which should be interesting.

It Gets Good!
 

It kind of starts going WAY faster. It took me almost 2 months to build up from .50/1 to 1/2, but 300BB playing 2/4 is easy, and it was only weeks to move up to 3/6 and 5/10.. Not to say you should or should not move that fast. I have not figured that out. At least I have to double my bankroll to get to 10/20! That would be NIIIIICCCCEEE!

I think you'll find the 5/10 game is as soft as the 3/6 (not that I have ever played the 3/6, but I just an't imagine the players being any worse)... 5/10 short seated is my bread and butter and the players are BAD. I've noticed an improvement in skill level of the GOOD players between 5/10 and 10/20 but there are still plenty of fish at that level too... And, I'm not sure because I haven't played it enough, but 15/30 seems to be as soft as 5/10! IMO, the 10/20 game is the toughest on the site.

I completely agree that the 15/30 games on party/empire are softer than even the 5/10 games on stars. In fact, in some cases, the 10/20 on party is much tougher than the 15/30. I think it has to do with being, with the exception of the 3 30/60 games, the highest limit on the site. A lot of players just want to play the highest stakes, whether their bankroll or skill level is prepared for it.

Funny
 

It is funny. I have progressed to 5/10 pretty fast (About 3-4 months). At every level I hear the same thing "5/10 is really tough! It is the cutoff!". 10/20 is easier than 5/10! Now I hear 5/10 is loose and 10/20 is tight and hard. lol! I think I just need to find out for myself! heh. Make my own judgements.

I think the hardest thing to adjust to in 5/10 is the amount of money. I was down $80 tonight and it seemed like the end of the world, because that is a large loss in 3/6, over half your stack!. However in 5/10 it is like 1-2 hands to get back to even. Sometimes not even that much! I think some people cannot mentally adjust to the jump in money so it seems alot harder to them, they change their game, etc.. etc..

as long as you continue to play the same game, it shouldnt really matter what limit you are at. this is all contingent on your bankroll, but it seems to me like you wont have many problems with the 5/10.

dont think about the money, just think about playing the game. if you play the game well, then the money will take care of itself for you.

anyone have any opinion on the limits at Pacific? Where do the limits get tougher, if that is possible?

If you think losing $80 is a lot, you are nowhere NEAR ready for 5/10. That's 8 BBs - that's nothing. Most pros will tell you you need a bankroll of 300 BBs. I think you can get away with much less, but you need to be prepared to lose a lot more than 8 BBs in one night! LOL...