E-town-guy said:
Why would you jump to 5u at +1? Wouldn't you gradually ramp your bet?
That depends on your bankroll. If you have a small bankroll then you will be waiting until a higher TC to jump to your high bet. This is similar to the “when to Wong in” situation. If you are using a healthy bet spread (like 1-8 or more) then you will want to jump in around +1. If you are using a smaller bet spread, or even flat betting, then you might be waiting until +2 or +3 to enter the same game.
I remember reading about how Ken Uston’s team had such a large bankroll that they were already making table-limit max bets. As their bankroll grew they couldn’t raise their betting level so they started betting the table max at lower TCs. That way they were getting more money on the table and increasing their EV even though their max bet couldn’t change. At one point I think their bankroll was so large that they were making table max bets whenever the TC turned positive. Man, that must have been fun!
This technique is not as optimal as using a proper bet ramp, but it can be an effective way to get a good win rate using a small bankroll and/or small bet spread.
-Sonny-