Higher stakes NL at PartyPoker?

How many of you guys play the higher stakes NL Hold'em tables at PartyPoker (50, 100, 200)?

Maybe it's just me and my recent streak, but I've recently noticed that the NL 25 tables seem to be attracting more and more fish, call stations, and just plain miserably-poor players. Now, this would be a good thing if there were just a few of these at the table, but I hate playing with a table full of these idiots because they're bound to outdraw me when I have the best of it pre-flop or on the flop.

Last two nights, I've ventured into NL 50, 100 and watched a 200 table for a while. I either broke even or made some money at every table I played. They seem to be tighter but with 1 or 2 welcome fish. I think I like it.


If you play these higher stakes table regularly, what is your experience and assessment of these tables? I'd like to know.

Eh? Anyone?

Played some $100NL on PP last night. Holy sh*t, there were some TERRIBLE players there. Guys goin allin on Axo, Jxs, one guy on ANY two cards - just unbelievable. One guy, who I luckily had position on, was goin >$20 or all-in on just about every hand, then he'd show a 34o or something. Got up to about $200, then he crashed and burned. I took him out, but unfortunately he only had about $18 left lol. After he left it calmed down some, but still some really bad play. Ended up about even, wasn't getting the greatest cards.

Don't know if this is typical, YMMV, etc., etc. but I'm definitely going to check it out again.

Played some NL 50 and 100 last night. Lost $20. Since the stakes and pots are bigger than NL 25, the swings will be a bit larger, so that's no big deal.

Played NL 50 this morning. Made $140 in two hours.

I play the 100NL regularly. Most of the people are tight so it's hard to get paid for winning hands unless they have something as well but the secret is to wait until someone goes on tilt (happens every hour) and then isolate him and take him down. You have to pay more attention to the people at your table than in 25NL.

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Originally Posted by toekneechin

...wait until someone goes on tilt (happens every hour)

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That's comedy.

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You have to pay more attention to the people at your table than in 25NL.

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Yes. I've noticed. Very true.

If anyone is up for a challenge or an expensive lesson in humility, I hear the absolute best online NLHE cash player is Spirit Rock on the Ultimate Bet high stakes games (usually $25/$50 blinds, 5k max buy-in.) Rumor has it he's up over 1 million.

I switched to the $100 NL table almost two weeks ago and am sticking with that for awhile. My observations based on just over 1000 hands:

- Better distribution of players at any given table. Every table I've been at has two/three solid players, one or two that are really tight, and a smattering of loose/passive or loose/aggressive players. Plus a sprinkle of the occasional maniac.

- Requires the ability to alter playing style based on the specific table and who you already know is in the hand. Steals are easy at that limit, against the right player. They get you into big trouble fast against the wrong one.

- I can't play two tables at this buy-in. Like somebody said above, you have to know how the people in the hand are playing.

- Everyone is much free-er with their cash. While I don't think there is as much tendency to go all-in as there is in the $25 tables, almost everyone is willing to call as $25 raise with second best hands or good draws.

-Related point, I see fewer correct plays based on POT odds. I think this is because of the huge IMPLIED odds of the big stacks. The temptation of drawing to the nut flush is just too hard to resist for some people when they think they can get even one other to go all-in with $150 stack. So you see people calling pot size + bets with two or three players behind them. They frequently end up heads up for the turn card, but call another pot size bet because of their sunk costs, despite bad odds.

- There are bigger swings. I've been up $500 and down $200 during different sessions. At this point I'm up about $350. The last two sessions was down $150, then up $200.

For those who have grown weary of the $25 NL game, I'd definitely recommend the $100 game.

Wow, you dude's must have a hefty bankroll to play at that level, I'm trying to build mine up...

I've decided i'm not taking any more money out of my BR, I might scatter it around a few poker sites but its all staying in the poker pot :D

The bigger it gets the bigger games i can play and the bigger it will get, as long as i have the skill to beat the game of course, as always said "If you are a loseing player, no BR is ever big enough".

I can say now, with some confidence "I am no longer a loseing player" :lol:

Since I'm relatively new to the game (been playing about 3 months but I put my first deposit into Party Poker a week ago) and I won my biggest pot last night ($75) I'm curious what the biggest pot you guys' have won is (ring game obviously).

I know $75 doesn't seem like much but it helped put me up $250 for the week, playing the $25 NL tables.

With your help i'm sure I'll be playing the bigger tables in no time!

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Originally Posted by Xianti

Maybe it's just me and my recent streak, but I've recently noticed that the NL 25 tables seem to be attracting more and more fish, call stations, and just plain miserably-poor players. Now, this would be a good thing if there were just a few of these at the table, but I hate playing with a table full of these idiots because they're bound to outdraw me when I have the best of it pre-flop or on the flop.

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Xianti, 1000% agree with your analysis of the PP tables. What does everyone think of that comment? Is it possible to be successful at these tables? I have gotten slaughtered the past 2 nights, losing 5 out of 6 all-in bets to infererior cards. Is it better to keep playing with these poor players or to find more solid competition so that you can read people a little better.

At the $25 tables I just couldn't get it put together. At the right table I could get it going, but then the next session I'd run into the kind of stuff that seems to be driving a lot of people at FTR nuts.

Not saying I don't see that crap on the bigger NL tables, but its usually just one or two people, and they end up really paying for it in the end.

From toasty's post:

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I've decided i'm not taking any more money out of my BR, I might scatter it around a few poker sites but its all staying in the poker pot

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I set up a separate checking account for my poker money. Three advantages:

-easy to move money around
-gives me a big picture of how I'm doing
-and most important, don't have to put up with crap from the wife when I take money out for poker (funny, she doesn't complain when I put money in FROM poker)

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Originally Posted by heatman

I set up a separate checking account for my poker money. Three advantages:

-easy to move money around
-gives me a big picture of how I'm doing

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Oooh. That sounds like a good idea.