How to? Convincing yourself it's not a lot of money as you move up

guitarizt · #1 10-25-2007, 02:23 AM

Play nl1000 hu for a while. Seriously though you can still think it's a lot of money and still play good. When I take stupid shots at higher stakes I don't think I play too much differently than if I were actually rolled for those stakes.

WhoIam · #2 10-25-2007, 02:45 AM

You just get used to it. It's always kind of nerve wracking for a while when you move up. You find yourself thinking things like "OMG, I just bluffed my monthly rent" but eventually it becomes the norm until you move up again. A lot of people think 4-tabling $50NL is a lot of money. You also don't have to move up all at once, it can be a gradual thing.

Rek · #3 10-25-2007, 03:53 AM

I have similar thoughts whenever I move up. What helps me is after moving up I continue to also play tables at the previous level as well. After a little while the previous level just seems too low and I eventually let it go. The level I have increased to then becomes the norm and just doesn't seem a big deal any more. I will only move back down again if my bankroll tells me to.

What happens is that at any level you tend to have an idea of variance at that level. You move up and that variance is magnified in terms of actual $$$ and it can play on your mind initially. Willing to move back down and then up again is key until you are really comfortable.

djshawk · #4 10-25-2007, 05:26 AM

This is pretty much where I'm at right now but at much smaller stakes. At the start of the month I had over $2k in my account and was away from home so was limited to playing 1 table because of my laptop's resolution. I started playing 100nl and I think because it was just 1 table I never felt like I could lose a great deal. I ran pretty well and despite some nasty beats was up about 4bi over 1500 hands so real happy. Since I've got back home I've been playing 2-3 tables most of the time, started running bad/playing bad and am down to below $2k.

I'd taken small shots at 100nl before but it felt like there was way too much money on the table. Now when I play there it feels fine but I'm sure I'm still playing scared.

My take on it is that when you are nearing moving up your bankroll is probably sat around 40 bi so loosing a couple of buyins doesn't feel like a big deal. As soon as you move up, your bankroll effectively halves, you are playing for twice as much, there are a whole load of new regulars etc. It's all new. Now you take a couple of beats and are down 3bi, not a big deal at your old level but it feels so much more because the $ amount is twice the size and your bankroll is half the size. I know that's not actually true but mentally that's how it feels.

I'm gonna go back to 50nl for a while and will probably take another shot at the 100 when I've got $2.5k. If of course I get that far because at the moment my confidence is shot and it makes you wonder if you are just a losing player all along!