Moving up NLTRN

[Saitoh]

I've been playing poker online for about 2.5 years, and have been lurking around these boards for 1/2 year.

My game is NLHE heads up sng, sng single, and MTT.

I have a regular job and consider myself an above average casual player usually playing a couple of hrs a day, more if i'm in a MTT. I've made about $3k with this "hobby" playing mostly $5-$10 games. But i'm interesting moving up in limit.

I have not gone bust in any site except for the first month when I first started. I would play HU SNG to keep my bankroll steady, while taking shots at single/multi SnG and MTT.

However, when i work up to around $500+ bankroll, I find myself getting too conservative. If I work up to $500 and then fall below that mark or have a bad run, I would cash out and leave myself $100-$200 to play with. This would get me back into my "comfort zone," but I can not move up in limit doing this. I'm a winning player at $20, but I still feel more playing in $10 games.

I guess it just makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes if I feel that I might lose more money in an hour with my "hobby" than I make in my real job.

So my question is how would I go about growing some balls to play comfortably in higher limit? My ultimate goal would be to make as much or more money playing poker in a few years than I do in my real job as a supplement to my income.

[ChicagoRy]

I find myself sort of in the same situation as you as far as how your poker playing relates to your regular job.

As far as moving up goes, I have sort of ignored my poker bankroll as real money even though I have found myself in spots where I could use a cashout or two. I have not been cashed out once since starting with 150 in mid January and I am currently at a little over 3k.

What really helped me grow my bankroll and learn the game was moving up when I felt ready. I use bankroll guidelines to make sure I don't play above my bankroll for variance reasons, but I do not automatically move up just because I have 20, 30, 50 etc. buyins at any given level.

If you focus on improving your game by reading this forum, reviewing HHs and talking to other intelligent players you should feel comfortable moving up to 22s, 33s, 55s etc. all in due time. Try to think of your online poker BR as an investment and seperate it from your normal job income if possible.

Also, try to get into the habit of not thinking about short term results, if you search for a few winrate/risk of ruin threads in this forum you can look over the numbers and it may help you see the wide variations of short term results and focus on just maintaining your A game.

[MychCumstien]

[ QUOTE ]
Try to think of your online poker BR as an investment and seperate it from your normal job income if possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

very true. I actually opened up a separate bank account specifically for my poker money, in an effort to treat it as an investment.

As Chicago said, don't move up until you are "mentally" ready. Even if you have the BR, if you aren't ready for it, you'll play scared, and slowly bleed yourself away.

Just keep practicing, post some HH for analysis; work on your game, and then wade into it gradually, i.e. a few higher stakes sessions here and there, until you're ready to dive in. GL [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ChicagoRy]

Yea, another good point Mych brings up is mixing in higher limit games. It's a little easier to do this with lower risk when you're playing higher and can sharkscope for fish, etc. but if you're moving up to 22s-33s you'll likely not be sitting with a great player most of the time. Odds are most of your blocks for moving up are mental and your skillset is more than enough to be a good winner at those levels (you're a 2+2er afterall).

[Saitoh]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[cwar]

[ QUOTE ]
Odds are most of your blocks for moving up are mental and your skillset is more than enough to be a good winner at those levels (you're a 2+2er afterall).


[/ QUOTE ]
Id guess the majority of 2p2ers are losers or only marginal winners, most of them just know how to act like winners.

[ChicagoRy]

Hence I said your skillset is more than enough to BE a good winner at those levels.