Operation: Make 25NL the Floor

Hey Sasquach, how's it going?

Jason's posts in this operation are excellent and playing full ring is a good suggestion - from seeing your stats/style of play previously it might be that you find it easier to grow in full ring for the time being, and then moving to 6max as you begin to get comfortable with expanding ranges. Full ring may seem boring by comparison, but it would allow you to play your current style within the confines of full ring villain's narrower ranges. There's plenty of notable posters on FTR who began in full ring, and plenty too who still play all/the majority of their hands there and make good clip. Don't think of it as giving up, think of it as following the successful path laid down by others. Why walk the horse when you can sit on it :P

Good luck with whatever the next step you take is. I'll be checking in to see how you get on!

So I decided to play FR for a couple of days. I'm going to change the name of the OP also. I should have dropped down to 10NL but I didn't. I think I'll try to learn FR as it's been suggested to me several times and maybe I'll have less swings. I'll also drop down to 10NL while learning.

Here are a few hands from FR at 25NL

Hand 1

villian was 13/11/5 over 100 hands with 10% 3bet so I figured he 3bet fairly light TT+, AK

Since he is aggro, I couldn't decide what the 60% cbet means so I assumed he would do this with QQ+, AdKd. I raised hoping he would shove which he did.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP2 ($12.50)
CO ($32.10)
Button ($32.20)
Hero (SB) ($31.25)
BB ($19.40)
UTG ($26.50)
UTG+1 ($25)
MP1 ($25.95)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, K
1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.75, MP1 raises to $3.25, 3 folds, Hero calls $3.15, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $2.50

Flop: ($10) 5, K, 9 (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 bets $6, Hero raises to $15, 1 fold, MP1 raises to $22.70 (All-In), Hero calls $7.70

Turn: ($55.40) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($55.40) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $55.40 | Rake: $2.70

Results below:
Hero had A, K (one pair, Kings).
MP1 had A, A (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: MP1 won $52.70


Hand 2
I should never have been opening this UTG at FR but after all of the folds I felt better about it.
Villian was 33/0/3.3 over 48 hands so he's pretty much a CS and bets when he hits.
I figured Ax or a set after the raise and he was a little over half stacked so I was ready to get it in here.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($24.40)
Button ($26.10)
SB ($27.30)
BB ($19.25)
Hero (UTG) ($26.05)
UTG+1 ($15)
MP1 ($25.60)
MP2 ($16.45)
MP3 ($24.90)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, Q
Hero bets $1, UTG+1 calls $1, MP1 calls $1, 6 folds

Flop: ($3.35) A, 5, 4 (3 players)
Hero bets $2.25, UTG+1 raises to $6, 1 fold, Hero raises to $14, UTG+1 calls $8 (All-In)

Turn: ($31.35) 8 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($31.35) 6 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $31.35 | Rake: $1.55

Results below:
Hero had A, Q (one pair, Aces).
UTG+1 had 4, 4 (three of a kind, fours).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $29.80

Hand 3

Villian was unknown but I figured I was ahead the entire hand.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP2 ($32.55)
MP3 ($3.60)
CO ($13.15)
Button ($13.85)
SB ($24.85)
Hero (BB) ($35.30)
UTG ($4.75)
UTG+1 ($25.35)
MP1 ($6.05)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, K
5 folds, CO calls $0.25, 1 fold, SB calls $0.15, Hero bets $1.25, 1 fold, SB calls $1

Flop: ($2.75) J, K, 9 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB calls $2

Turn: ($6.75) 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $4, SB calls $4

River: ($14.75) 6 (2 players)
SB bets $5.25, Hero calls $5.25

Total pot: $25.25 | Rake: $1.20

Results below:
SB had 10, 9 (one pair, nines).
Hero had A, K (one pair, Kings).
Outcome: Hero won $24.05

Hand 4

26/9/1.6 over 75 hands
villian always bet pairs of any kind


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($30.95)
BB ($13.95)
UTG ($6)
Hero (MP) ($31.75)
CO ($34.30)
Button ($11.05)

Preflop: Hero is MP with Q, Q
1 fold, Hero bets $1, CO calls $1, 3 folds

Flop: ($2.35) 7, 9, J (2 players)
Hero bets $2, CO raises to $6, Hero calls $4

Turn: ($14.35) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $6.75, Hero raises to $24.75 (All-In), CO calls $18

River: ($63.85) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $63.85 | Rake: $3

Results below:
Hero had Q, Q (one pair, Queens).
CO had 8, 9 (straight, nine high).
Outcome: CO won $60.85

Since things didn't go so well at 25NL FR and the BR is down to $400 I'm going to end this Op and start a new one. I'm going to switch to FR and drop down to 10NL once again. The swings are just getting too frustrating at 6max and I'm just tilting too much. I think the change will do me good. I did play about 500 hands at 10NL FR tonight and played some marginal hands OOP which cost me when I hit top pair and lost to a set every time so that's something I have to work on. I was down a little over a one BI for the session. I also hit a set exactly 0% of the time and the same for my draws but considering I only lost one bI I'm not worried about it.

Hey ....funny I just found this thread. I moved up to 25NL 6max last week and promptly dumped 4 buyins . Moved up at $620 and had set my move down at $500. went down to $513 so dropped down to 10nl prematurely and hit a one night heater back up to $560.. I started out just 2 tabling so that i could take notes. General impressions I had were that there were generally a lot more full stacks on the tables .
Even though they were full stacked there were some terrible players, 3betting seemed a bit more prevalent and to me it seems like this is the first level where its going to be a case of targeting 1 or two fish at the table rather than 10NL where it would be 4+ fish at the table.

Weirdly , playing 2 tables instead of 4or 5 at 10NL i'm actually playing a lot tighter and the 4 buyins i dropped were probably 3 coolers and 1 spew. KK<AA all in pre , flopped straight raised and reraised all in on the flop vs 2 pair and he rivered the boat.