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

[napkins]

Accept the fact that you're playing for a lot of money. Don't lie to yourself, or try and convince yourself that it isn't that much. Instead, concentrate on the fact that poker is about decisions, and the corresponding money won/lost is a by-product of those decisions over the long run.

So, even if you lose a lot (but not a lot in proportion to your bankroll) you should be okay with the fact that you took a calculated risk that didn't happen to work out this time; but over the long run is a good decision if you're aiming to move up in stakes and become more profitable.

[JKratzer]

no quick fix, it's something you get used to.

[Jamougha]

Open shove every hand for the first orbit.

[sternroolz]

I was gonna respond to this, but realized you are not playing live. Live....I know its a lot of money(to me). I had a really hard time wanting to move from $9-18 LHE to $20-40 LHE. I mean, the amount I am willing to put in play any given night exceeds my biweekly take home play. So I moved up slow and played a lot of hours of $10-20 and $15-30 in between. Once I got to the $20-40, I sold 1/3 of my action to a friend for a while and that helped lessen the sting(and earned him $2200). Now that I've logged some hours....it still kinda bothers me. But not at the table. I'm able to view my chips as just that and really don't think of the money involved until I leave the table.

But I have no idea how I would handle things if I was playing online. It's not so easy to say to yourself that you are just playing with chips.

[guitarizt]

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]

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]

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.

[SellingtheDrama]

[ QUOTE ]
I was gonna respond to this, but realized you are not playing live. Live....I know its a lot of money(to me). I had a really hard time wanting to move from $9-18 LHE to $20-40 LHE. I mean, the amount I am willing to put in play any given night exceeds my biweekly take home play. So I moved up slow and played a lot of hours of $10-20 and $15-30 in between. Once I got to the $20-40, I sold 1/3 of my action to a friend for a while and that helped lessen the sting(and earned him $2200). Now that I've logged some hours....it still kinda bothers me. But not at the table. I'm able to view my chips as just that and really don't think of the money involved until I leave the table.

But I have no idea how I would handle things if I was playing online. It's not so easy to say to yourself that you are just playing with chips.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know exactly how you feel...its even sicker since I play NL - I'll be betting multiple weeks pay on one street in some games.

I've gotten better, I just try to treat the poker hours as a part time job and focus on longer-term hourly rates and sustaining /improving them.