hold'em poker 1-2 nl 2-5 nl no difference

I play 1-2 nl and 2-5 nl at Foxwoods Casino and a poker room in New Hampshire. I've found that in general the 2-5 players are not much better than the 1-2 players. They chase flushes and straights with no regard for pot odds, they don't size their bets in relation to the size of the pot , etc. The only real difference is they play for higher stakes. Has anyone else found this to be the case where they play.

Quote: threemonksX

I play 1-2 nl and 2-5 nl at Foxwoods Casino and a poker room in New Hampshire. I've found that in general the 2-5 players are not much better than the 1-2 players. They chase flushes and straights with no regard for pot odds, they don't size their bets in relation to the size of the pot , etc. The only real difference is they play for higher stakes. Has anyone else found this to be the case where they play.

This is really quite common. In fact, especially on weekend nights the 2-5 games are usually softer than the 1-2 games. Everyone who "wants" to be a pro but doesn't have the BR will play the 1-2 games. The 2-5 games get populated by the rich fishes whom will make extra terrible plays.

If you have the BR for 2-5 (which I hope you understand RoR and bankroll management) then you should definitely be playing 2-5 over 1-2.

That seems like a difficult determination to make. I would suggest, however, that if you are a lifetime winner at NLHE by a significant percentage, then maybe you simply play so much better than the players at both of those levels that any change in the quality of play would barely make a difference to you, personally.

If that's the case, and you have the bankroll for it, you might consider testing the waters at higher levels. Just make sure you have the discipline to drop back down if need be.

Quote: threemonksX

I play 1-2 nl and 2-5 nl at Foxwoods Casino and a poker room in New Hampshire. I've found that in general the 2-5 players are not much better than the 1-2 players. They chase flushes and straights with no regard for pot odds, they don't size their bets in relation to the size of the pot , etc. The only real difference is they play for higher stakes. Has anyone else found this to be the case where they play.

I've put in significant hours at Foxwoods ($1/2 and $2/5 NL) as well as Seabrook/Rockingham Park back in college. In general, your observation is correct; $2/5 players still play the same types of hands, and are generally unaware of the pot size and stack sizes.

I have similar win rates in terms of BB/hr for both games over a good sample size. In $2/5, you'll find opponents who are capable of folding overpairs on the flop, or who will play combo draws/Ace-high flush draws out of position more aggressively, or who will check the river to induce bluffs/turn a made hand into a bluff. But there are plenty of recreational players willing to take a shot at $2/5; if you have the bankroll and good fundamentals, 10BB/hr is an achievable win rate.