The weekend rec at $2/$5 who sits down with the max buy-in is more dangerous than they look. They're not better than the $1/$2 rec - they just have more bullets. Don't assume big stack means competent player.

Why they do it

$2/$5 attracts recs who want the bigger action, not necessarily players who've moved up because they're ready. A max buy-in rec is still playing rec poker - they're just doing it with $500 instead of $200. The same tendencies apply. The stakes just hurt more when you misread them.

The adjustment

Profile them the same way you would at $1/$2. Watch the first two or three hands. If they're limping, cold-calling 3-bets, and betting small on rivers, they're a $1/$2 rec with a bigger bankroll. Adjust accordingly.

What it's worth

Underestimating a big-stacked rec and not extracting full value is a session-level mistake. Correctly identifying and targeting them adds $150-300 over a long session.