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Maybe we could discuss areas of our game that we need to work on.
What area of your game is possibly holding you back.
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OP,,, I might be in position to offer some advice. I have played hundreds of thousands of hands (true # is unavail) since I started playing online June 2005. I NEVER put my own money in play. I won a seat into a real money tourney when I won a freeroll. I placed in that tourney and won $40. My roll right now is about 5K after having withdrawn somewhere around 15K over the year and a half.
Over that year and a half I learned several "truths" about small stakes, one of which is that there are two ways to build a roll. Playing tons of hands and reading this site is one way. Taking shots and running hot is another. I've done both. The money earned from taking shots has ALWAYS been donated back fairly quickly. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] I never understood why the "playahs" would list BR management as their #1 asset... but I get it now. Now when I take shots I set a floor where I bail early. If I run hot, I always set the floor at half of "new" earnings before I drop back.
As an example, I was playing alot of 50NL in February and when raketherake sent me January's rakeback, I used that as a few half buy-ins on the 200NL tables (I play about 1000-1300 hands per night 4-6 tabling). I QUICKLY ran that up to 2K with the help of a 65s flopped boat OTB. I set a floor of $1K that I managed to play myself to by the end of the week....so I'm back down to 50NL, with ONE LARGE more in my BR.
Now, what I am going to tell you is: You MUST take shots. And keep a level head while doing this (protect your roll). Buy in shortish, not short. I don't like the shortie strat by Ed Miller as I find FOR ME, it's too limiting in my play. When I take shots, I'll buy in for 40-60% and play "normal" poker... it works for me where a different buyin percentage might work better for you.Be VERY aware of stack sizes as you ponder whether to enter into a pot. If you don't understand stack size issues, research here on 2+2. It is a KEY element to playing as a shortie, and playing against a shortie.
When you take your first babysteps up the ladder, you'll either get lucky, or fall. Set a floor. The first coupla times will be hard as you are adjusting to larger REAL dollar bets when you have been used to $1.00 PFR at 25NL, making a $4 PFR is hard. (Get a BetPot type program! because it's easier to bet 4 clicks at any level...don't chicken out).
The one thing that is GREAT about taking shots is that when the Poker Gawds give you some cards early in the session, it settles you down and you learn that you can play poker with "better players". Without cards, we all (in micros) lose money as you are playing with "scared money". I'm going to clue you in on something I THINK is true. Micros are tougher than 50NL, and most certainly tougher than 100NL.
HUH??? What did he say??????
As a better poker player now, I play situations about as hard as I play my cards. My reads are VERY important to my bottom line. I believe that the micros play tougher because the experience and skills gap between the best player at my table and the worst is HUGE. This makes poker reading so much tougher. I don't know if I can push a PFR off his hand with a PSB if I'm on the button with 72o. On a $100 table, I can make that move.... A LOT.
This brings me to point #3.... playing poker. You must learn to play postionally. Read Tien's fundamentals post. Often. I played several "styles" over the past year and a half. I was stuck on a style that worked OK for me for most of 2006.... consisting of playing lots of pots cheaply if I had a playable hand. To balance, I played AA-JJ AQ+ the same. I ran about 4BB/100 using this. I learned how to play lots of situations this way. Tien's post came out at just the right time for me... maybe it will for you too.
Tien's thread
It says 6Max fundamentals, but applies to FR just as well. I really don't want to get too far into strat as Tien does a fine job. The part of his post that I will stress is to be UBER tight OOP. I don't like AQo, KJo, 33, in the blinds through middle position. I will raise against some, fold against most. Pick your battles. Fight the right type of opponent.
What I will say is that since his thread came out, I have made most of my roll and withdrawls. While I was grinding last summer in the micros at 4BB, I would then lose in my attempts to move up.
I now have game.
Recap
(1) BR management
(2) You MUST take shots
(3) Positional TAG is correct in Micros