3 Minute vs 5 Minute Blitz Pools

There seems to be a difference in skill between the players who are playing 3 minute blitz games and 5 minute blitz games. If you have two players with the same blitz rating, one who plays 3 minute games exclusively and the other who plays 5 minute games exclusively, the 3 minute player will be stronger. I would guess it's about a 100 elo gap. I discovered this because after years of almost exclusively playing 3 minute games, I switched to 5 minute games and gained 100 points in a couple days, matching my all time rating highs. When I switched back to 3 minute chess my ratings went back down.

It also seems that players in each pool almost exclusively stick to either 3 minute games or 5 minute games. When I play a 3 minute opponent and look at their game log, all their blitz games are 3 minute games and the same applies for 5 minute opponents. This would allow the ratings between the pools to drift apart.

Has anyone else noticed this?

But even then, those who play 3 minute games regularly are probably the same pool of players who used to play 5 minute games.

From my experience the 5min pool is significantly stronger. I can get lots of my rating points refunded... 

I agree, 3 min is mostly just flagging and playing as fast as can as accurately as you can, in 5 minute you have time to think for 1 minute in critical positions

What I meant is half the people over 2200 in 5min pool are cheaters lol

Anyone else found this? 

sadly true, as a former 5 minutes players, I tried the 3 minutes challenges and lost 150 points...

Part of that could just be an adaptation to the new time control? Or is this a sustained difference in playing strength within the two pools of 3 mins vs 5?

I would go for the sustained difference. Chess is a game where tactics is essential, people playing 3 minutes games are just faster at spotting tactics and reacting on difficult positions, finding painful defenses...

I am a 2223 rated fide player, I play 3|0