GG poker 5NL or 10NL?

[puzzlefish]

I am getting ready to start playing cash games on GG beyond 2NL. I am playing 2NL to work through their cash tokens that I am getting from clearing their sign up bonuses.

I'm finding 2NL is extremely nitty at many tables during the week, even though there are supposedly a lot of players on the site at these limits. Will try to exploit this but it's extremely tedious just getting walks for anything that I want to play rather than harvesting post-flop mistakes.

For anyone with experience in cash games on GG:

As I am getting closer to moving up stakes, is there any benefit to trying to do 5NL first or should I just go ahead and do 10NL? bankroll is not going to be an issue.

 

[fundiver199]

You are not new to poker, so if bankroll is not an issue, then maybe 10NL? The two limits often play somewhat similar, but of course swings will be bigger at 10NL measured in $.

 

[Lux12]

If bankroll isn’t a problem, the real question is about comfort and skill progression. 5NL can be a smoother step because the player pool is still pretty soft but less nitty than 2NL, so you’ll get more post‑flop spots to work on. Jumping straight to 10NL is fine too, but the regs there punish leaks harder and you’ll face more aggression. If you’re confident in your fundamentals and don’t mind variance, go for 10NL. If you’d rather ease into tougher games and build confidence, take a shot at 5NL first.

 

[Prophet]

at both 5 , 10 NL and up I win pots because players seem to play good hands, but at 2NL i never win. Players are very bad playing any 2 cards..... I lost with AA, KK many many times, and is not worthed wasting time winning pennies.

If the bankroll is not an issue, just join 100NL and play real poker..... at 2NL you will never get betterat cash games cause is full of bingo players

 

[dreamer13]

Choosing between 5NL and 10NL depends on your experience and goals: 5NL is a great option for beginners due to the lower stakes and fewer strong opponents. 10NL is the next step, requiring a deeper understanding of the game and can generate a higher income of $100-$500 per month for winning players.

 

[Mario7]

I am getting ready to start playing cash games on GG beyond 2NL. I am playing 2NL to work through their cash tokens that I am getting from clearing their sign up bonuses.

I'm finding 2NL is extremely nitty at many tables during the week, even though there are supposedly a lot of players on the site at these limits. Will try to exploit this but it's extremely tedious just getting walks for anything that I want to play rather than harvesting post-flop mistakes.

For anyone with experience in cash games on GG:

As I am getting closer to moving up stakes, is there any benefit to trying to do 5NL first or should I just go ahead and do 10NL? Bankroll is not going to be an issue.

First of all: are you a winnnig player? Do you beat 2NL?
If you think 5NL or 10 NL will be in any way easier - because less nitty, less random, more responsible plays or whatever - you are wrong (and ppl who suggest it are wrong). It will be harder to win than 2NL for sure. I have been there - tried both 5NL and 10NL - now I am back to 2NL. I do not say I won't try to move up again after some time, but for now I find 2NL A LOT easier, so much easier that justifies staying at this level for some more time.

Anyway, playing cash game is very elastic - just go and try it out with some reasonable sample, like 5-10K hands - if you manage to make more profit than in 2NL, you will obviosuly stay there. If not, you can always come back (as I did). Just please do not forget to share your experiences here

 

[hjuosh]

You say that you have the bankroll. So. Go ahead with 10 NHL. Take a lot of care if the swings start. Use a tight management at first. And guide it to the rules. The best luck for you.

 

[Igor Popadyk]

Not the best room for such limits, have you considered the options of other rooms?

 

[puzzlefish]

Not the best room for such limits, have you considered the options of other rooms?

Yes I am currently looking at WPTG and not really liking what I see there either, because they have a mandatory straddle built into their games. So a 10NL would be 5/10/20 which really plays more like 20NL. And a 5NL is 2/5/10 which plays like I don't even know. Something between 5NL and 10NL.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[puzzlefish]

You say that you have the bankroll. So. Go ahead with 10 NHL. Take a lot of care if the swings start. Use a tight management at first. And guide it to the rules. The best luck for you.

I can see already the swings are wild and have me questioning whether I have what it takes mentally to handle seeing what used to be my bankroll in the past switching hands.

 

[puzzlefish]

First of all: are you a winnnig player? Do you beat 2NL?
If you think 5NL or 10 NL will be in any way easier - because less nitty, less random, more responsible plays or whatever - you are wrong (and ppl who suggest it are wrong). It will be harder to win than 2NL for sure. I have been there - tried both 5NL and 10NL - now I am back to 2NL. I do not say I won't try to move up again after some time, but for now I find 2NL A LOT easier, so much easier that justifies staying at this level for some more time.

Anyway, playing cash game is very elastic - just go and try it out with some reasonable sample, like 5-10K hands - if you manage to make more profit than in 2NL, you will obviosuly stay there. If not, you can always come back (as I did). Just please do not forget to share your experiences here

I am a winning player at 2NL, but it's incredibly boring playing for cents. Moving up is a bit terrifying since the play is not nearly as conservative as I thought it would be, at least on WPTG, and a lot of money exchanges hands back and forth.

 

[puzzlefish]

Actually my bankroll is for NL10

Where are you playing?

 

[Mario7]

I am a winning player at 2NL, but it's incredibly boring playing for cents. Moving up is a bit terrifying since the play is not nearly as conservative as I thought it would be, at least on WPTG, and a lot of money exchanges hands back and forth.

Yes, I find WPTG games pretty crazy, perhaps it's because of auto-straddle? But you can play with $50 stack there at NL2. I know not many players go with max stack, but anyway it is such a possibility you can put $50 in the middle from time to time. Perhaps adding a few more tables would be enough to not to feel bored? Unless you find it good for you to play higher stacks of course.

 

[fundiver199]

Yes I am currently looking at WPTG and not really liking what I see there either, because they have a mandatory straddle built into their games. So a 10NL would be 5/10/20 which really plays more like 20NL. And a 5NL is 2/5/10 which plays like I don't even know. Something between 5NL and 10NL.

When a straddle is mandatory, its not really a straddly but just a third blind. So these are just 20NL and 10NL 3 blind games. The extra blind mean, there is a little more dead money to fight for, but this is not enough to change the bankroll requirement in a meaningfull way. It does change your preflop strategy a little bit though.

 

[puzzlefish]

Yes, I find WPTG games pretty crazy, perhaps it's because of auto-straddle? But you can play with $50 stack there at NL2. I know not many players go with max stack, but anyway it is such a possibility you can put $50 in the middle from time to time. Perhaps adding a few more tables would be enough to not to feel bored? Unless you find it good for you to play higher stacks of course.

I don't even see a NL2 on WPTG. It starts with 0.02/0.05/0.10 and up.

 

[fundiver199]

I don't even see a NL2 on WPTG. It starts with 0.02/0.05/0.10 and up.

Could potentially make 10NL a quite profitable game, since the worst players will then be found there rather than at 2NL or 5NL. Some might also be fooled by them calling the biggest blind a "straddle" and think, they are actually playing 5NL rather than 10NL. From an etichal standpoint this is bad, but if you are playing for profit, you might benefit from it.

 

[Station_Master]

Can you not play on PS or 888? Or even GG and not play a straddled game?

 

[puzzlefish]

Can you not play on PS or 888? Or even GG and not play a straddled game?

I may end up doing this because not having great results on WPTG. But they have a good promotion going on right now so it makes sense to play there and turn my deposit over before moving some to GG.

 

[Shadow6969]

2NL on GG is naturally nitty-lots of bonus clearers and scared money, especially mid-week. It's good for discipline, but bad for post-flop learning.

If bankroll isn't an issue, 5NL is mostly skippable. The pool plays very similar to 2NL. 10NL is where the games improve: wider ranges,

more post-flop mistakes, and better value spots.

If you're comfortably beating 2NL and can handle variance, moving straight to 10NL makes sense.

 

[puzzlefish]

Thanks, I think my problem is I cannot handle the swings yet.

 

[Kasztor007]

I think this is less about bankroll and more about mental comfort. If the swings already feel stressful, jumping straight to 10NL might be too big, even if you’re technically ready. 2NL is nitty and boring, but it’s good for discipline. 5NL can be a solid middle step: more post-flop spots, but still manageable variance. I’d personally get comfortable there first before moving up to 10NL.