I am attempting to clear a Poker Stars bonus. I have been playing 50NL and am getting nowhere.

Can you tell me what limit will clear the bonus in a reasonable amount of time?

cat923

In all honesty - unless you play at Stars regularly (rather than chasing a bonus) - I would stick to the limit tables. Here's why:

1. On big-bet poker (PL/NL) you need at least $1 in rake in order to earn a FPP. That's a $20 pot at a minimum.

2. In limit poker up to $1/$2 you need $.75 in rake in order to earn a FPP - that's a $15 pot.

3. From $2/$4 and up - you need $1 in rake again.

For PL/NL - you won't hit that size of a pot that frequently and still get callers - so frequently you just won't get the points. For limit under $1/$2 - you will crawl along. At $1/$2 it actually is reasonable (7.5BB for a FPP). At $2/$4 it is very reasonable (5BB for a FPP).

/d

I just finished it playing only 1/2 limit tables. It took me almost 2200 hands to get 582 FPP needed. I was choosing the tables with the highest average pot but it just crawled. If you have the money, 2/4 would seem to be the quickest since the limits are double of 1/2 but the pot only has to raise $5 more. I didn't feel like playing that limit so I just stuck it out. There is no time limit apparently so you can come back to it later (as long as you don't withdraw).

don't just jump into limit if you don't know how to play, especially 2/4. How many hands have you played at $50NL to get those 190 points? Even playing 1/2 limit, only about 35% of hands were big enough. Half of those pots included me too because if I play a hand, its usually for a decent pot because I have good cards.