[ckj]

Don't think of downswings in terms of $$$ that's just going to cause you a lot of problems in the long run. I try to think of them in terms of BB, or best yet, ignore the results and play the best game you can. I just pay closer attention to my game during downswings.

This is coming out of a small 100BB downswing that came at the worst possible time, when I decided to move up. Nearly had to drop back down for the 3rd time.

Thanks for the BR tips Aaron, I know this knowledge was hard earned through some painful experience.

When I started, I started with $100 and a plan to 1) hopefully make some money, and 2) have fun playing poker. I started with the boss media sites, because the bonus whoring was good there and ran it up to $300. Then, the UIEGA was passed and I deposited my whole roll into FTP and played .5/1 until I made it up to $400. Withdrew $200 to bonus whore and ran into a nasty downswing that made me lose faster than the bonus would compensate. I really doubted my poker ability at this time, and coupled with the UIEGA, I lost interest and focused on other things. The site lost its cushy bonus so I ended up cashing out for $189, my only cash out to date, and I eventually started playing again at FTP. I'm slowly grinding my way now at .5/1 after having to drop down again and again. Hopefully I'll be here for awhile. I was using the 300BB rule, but I think, since I'm playing 6-max I'll probably move up once I hit 500BB for the next level.

I don't really think of poker money as money. I tend to think of it as points, poker is a game where the better you do in the long run, the more points you will have. So I just try to play my best game, and hope that's enough to make money.

I've never really been close to busto, but having a 200BB downswing was maddening and made me take a break from poker. I think I'm better equipped emotionally to handle these things, but you never really know until you're in one.