I'm new to poker. Took a couple of classes at the local community college on hold'em and then bought a few books. I've been playing on Party Poker for about three months now and am starting to win relatively consistently at the $0.50/1.00 games. So far I've got ~2200 hands played.

I'd like to move up, but I don't quite feel I ready. My bank roll is up to $275. From what I read here on FTR, I need about $600 before I move into the $1/2 games. My plan is to build the bankroll by playing at the $0.5/1.0 limits and not move up until at least this is accomplished.

That aside, my question is this: how much harder will the competition be at the $1/2 level? I've heard rumors that it's essentially the same class of players, while others say there is a definite increase in skill levels of the players. Which is true? What have been the FTR folks' experiences? At what level(s) do the skill levels improve noticeably?

Thanks,
Mark