The Pyramid Bankroll Challenge: Is it time to move up?

[train.]

[ QUOTE ]
My 1/2 isn't going well... dropped back down to .50/1.00 for now so I don't have to reload, heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

My .5/1 was going ok (462 hands, 1.8bb/100.) but, cheez, i couldn't take it anymore.

so I started over at 1/2 last nite.
54 hand FR -29.50 [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
146 hands 6max +23.00 [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
net -6.50

this was a backbreaker

sb was ~90/40/off the charts

there's a tear in my beer.....

Full Tilt Poker
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $1/$2
4 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
Hero: $96.50
Button: $29.75
SB: $25.75
BB: $51.25

Pre-flop: (4 players) Hero is UTG with 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
<font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, Button folds, <font color="#cc0000">SB 3-bets</font>, BB folds, <font color="#cc0000">Hero caps</font>, SB calls <font color="aaaaaa">(10:1)</font>.

Flop: 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (9SB, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#cc0000">SB 3-bets</font>, Hero calls <font color="aaaaaa">(15:1)</font>.

Turn: 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (7.5BB, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#cc0000">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero caps</font>, SB calls <font color="aaaaaa">(17.5:1)</font>.

River: 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (15.5BB, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#cc0000">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero caps</font>, SB calls <font color="aaaaaa">(25.5:1)</font>.

Results:
Final pot: 23.5BB
SB showed 6c 4c
Hero showed 6d 6h

edit:w/the stars reload, i'm takin my pyramid to the horse game [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[kerowo]

Dang you! I didn't know the pyramid could be played on HORSE!

[train.]

playe 3.25 hours of 1/2 horse. shoulda played 2. up ~$60 after 2 hours. up $2.35 after 3.25. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] got down as much as $15 tho. I think i played ok, just a lot of suckouts in hour three and me chasin a few marginal O8 and razz hands.

for you bonus whores, i played about 5 complete rounds or about 200 hands - ~60/hr. 1 table.

57 fpp - ~ 1 every 3.5 hands. this avg was about 1 every 3 first 2 hours.

pyramid roll = 175.85 , down 4.15.

up about $64 after 4 horse sessions ~ 500 hands ~6.4bb/100

[train.]

[ QUOTE ]
If you fail at lvl 2 you made $80.

If you fail at lvl 3 you made $160 bucks

If you play at lvl 4 and crap out you still made $250 bucks by getting there and you still passed the challenge!


[/ QUOTE ]

my math skills suck but I think this is off.
at .5/1
level 1 : 1 x 80 = 80, doubled = 160

level 2 : 2 x 40 = 80, so you made 80 profit at level 1 and have now taken it all to level 2, if you go butso your even for the challenge, not up 80

level 2 : doubled = 160 , 160 profit

level 3 : 4 x 20 = 80, so butso leaves 80 profit

level 3 : doubled = 160, 240 profit

level 4 : 15bb at 3/6 = 90, if you butso that leaves 150 profit.


I've played ~735 hands of 1/2 horse. Down $14.03. (i was down 6.50 when i moved from HE to horse) [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

but i have accumulated 209 fpp towards the reload.

[Smurph64]

br of $80 original investment is lost yes so you broke even.

[mojobluesman]

I am in an entirely different situation, but I'd love to know what you guys think of my behavior.

I'm in my mid 40s and have a successful career. My personal net worth is well in excess of 1 million dollars.

I play $.50 - $1 and $1 - $2 because those arethe levels at which I can win. When I moved up from .50-1.00 to $1-$2, my BBs per 100 dropped enough so that my total profit was no larger than at $.50-$1.00.

So why move up again even though I could easily afford to play at much higher levels without a financial impact (especially considering I'm usually playing for a bonus that could bail me out of any losses at the higher levels).

Am I being logical?

Am I being a heartless punk?

Am I holding my development back?

Other?

[Smurph64]

Well interesting questions here. From a dynamic point of view, the reason you are playing poker is not for the money per se but the challenge. And likely you are not one who likes to lose challenges.

So the real question becomes one of discipline more than anything else. If you have the discipline to play your best poker at these micro levels regardless of the lack of financial stimulus, then its a moot point.

But there are probably some other issues which you are disregarding here. First and foremost is rake. At the micro levels rake costs you a huge percentage of your profits.

For example, in my case its 40%. So that represents about 1.5bb/100 loss to rake.

And while, in the short term a jump from from 1 to 2 dollar levels may be such that it is more profitable to play the lower level, if you account for a change in the rake factor it may not.

Another point of issue is that games have soft spots which happen above the micro limits where the games play softer than they do at the micros.

Because some people come from Brick and Mortar games they are used to 3-6 or 5-10 levels. Also unlike yourself, there are some financially secure individuals who are motivated more from the social aspect and fun factor than they are the challenge factor. So their discipline is lower than yours but for them its not relevant.

It is my belief, that if you are playing poker for a challenge that playing at higher levels is the best way to really determine your worth.

Financially and emotionally it is possible for some personalities to excel further by multitabling micros but I don't think that is your motivation.

If I had 1800 dollars or so of bankroll to work with I would most definitely be playing 3-6 right now. I have played at those levels before and the players by and large are not as tight as the $1 tables and therefore are more beatable.

I would in your situation, likely play either 6 max tables a the lower limits or move up to 3-6 full ring and give yourself a good shot at that level.

[mojobluesman]

"And likely you are not one who likes to lose challenges."

Right on the button!

I like the intellectual stimulation I get from learning poker, but I don't particularly like the volatility of results and bad beats, or losing etc... It tends to impact me more than most other people despite the fact that the dollars are more or less meaningless.

I would like to win more money if I could (why not), but I think I'm actually afraid to move up because if I lost, it would reveal how badly I play. It's a mental thing.

[KingOtter]

Not quite sure what's going on here...

[train.]

you cant cheat the poker gods. you moved up 39cents too early. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


another 109 hands of horse this morning, two tabling, up 64.25 [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] pyramid roll now +30.22.