Hi all. I've been reading these forums since they first appeared, but this is my first post. It seems that we have a sensible and intelligent online community here, with just a few of the inevitable trolls. I hope it stays that way. On to my question:

I play on UB, mostly $5 and $10 Sng's and some MTT's. Last night I won a MTT that awarded a $100 Tournament entry chip. So far I've found that I can consistently place in the money in the low stakes games simply by playing a solid, tight-aggressive game and avoiding marginal situations. Very little deception is required. I'm not sure that would be true of a $100 game though. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Also, if anybody would be interested in purchasing the TEC for $60, I'm listening.

I didn't think TECs were transferable!

i'll buy the chip for $60.

unfortunately, I played the $100 +9 last night and finished 34th of 220... right on the bubble as the top 30 pay out.

For those that are curious about the differences between a $100 MTT and a $5 or $10 MTT, here are my impressions of the quality of play: (regular high stakes players can probably disregard the rest of this post)

Early on, the play seemed pretty consistent with the low stakes tourneys I've played in. There were some loose calls (top pair, good kicker) and a few very aggressive all-in moves with as little as K10 preflop (which held up!). The field of 220 was narrowed to about 160 after the first hour. I suspect that if you didn't play a pot, you would out last around 80-100 players.

After the first break I was in 14th place, with around 6500 chips (started with 2500). By the time it was down to 100 players, the play was more solid. People weren't just giving their money away anymore and chips would have to be earned. People rarely called with poor hands out of position. Betting rounds rarely checked around, even with 2 players. Chip stacks were increasingly important, and the low stacks began to get bullied. I was getting blinded off and fell below the average stack. I picked up KK and was healthy again until I made a big mistake. I limped with K10 suited from late position. Flop comes K99, checked to me, I make a healthy bet and the low stack check-raises me all-in for a little less than 1/2 my chips....Hmmm... He was on the small blind, so anything is possible. He's been in desperation mode for a while and this isn't the first time he's pushed back. I tentatively put him on a King, worse kicker and call...against my better judgement. He turns over 2 9 offsuit and I'm in trouble.

After we got down to around 50 players, the game slowed to a crawl. Frequently, the blinds would be the only people in the pot. People played only premium hands. With blinds at 300-600 and a 50 ante, I had to make my move with only 4000 chips. I picked up 44 and pushed em in. High stacker (50,000+) calls me with J-9 off suit and I'm busted when his jack fills out a flush.

I didn't know what to expect going in, but I will say that the play was significantly better than any of the low stakes games I've played. People generally understand the implications of bets and the result is far fewer bad beats. People fold their draws when the price isn't right, and it's a better and more enjoyable game in every regard.