Scared to move up - whats wrong with me??

[Alex424]

Hey Guys, Been playing seriously for about 18 months now and am a winner at 3/6. The problem i have is i'm scared to move to 5/10. I have tried on a number of occasions now but always end up immediately having a bad run of cards and i end up bottling it and going back to 3/6.

I have a healthy bankroll but am worried about undoing all my hard work at 3/6 and having a sick run. At 5/10 the money is starting to get serious with major swings (for me anyway). I can't seem to get past this. I never tilt (i really don't)- probably my best trait in poker, but having swings of hundreds of dollars daily is making poker into a nervous miserable experience.

You may ask why i dont stick at 3/6. well i want to win serious money and my game is definately solid enough to win 5/10 and probably higher.

Any help is appreciated

[_Towelie_]

Until you're at a place where you can comfortably cope with the financial swings of 5/10 you should stick to 3/6. A sideroll strategy might be best for you. I assume you're comfortably rolled for 3/6. Keep grinding until you have a solid buy-in (or 2) for 5/10 ON TOP of your 3/6 roll, then take that surplus to a 5/10 table with the mindset that it's ok to lose the buy-in because you're still comfortably rolled for 3/6. Only you would know for sure if this can work, but it should give you the same psychological edge you currently enjoy at 3/6.

[PLOlover]

you could always use a mental trick coupled with bankroll management, eg, start siphoning off some profit and stick it in a "5-10" bankroll fund, to be used only to play 5-10. That way you'll only be playing with money that is "gone" anyway.

[NL__Fool]

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Re: Scared to move up - whats wrong with me??

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Nothing's wrong with you. I have a similair problem and I've been playing for a living for 3 years now.

Your "emotional bankroll" isnt as high as your "cash bankroll" Bill gates plays poker and when he does he plays $1-2 and $2-4

I 8 tabled the 3-6 6 max games for a living for 2 1/2 years
and could never really move past that limit even tho I was over a 2 BB/100 winner over about 1.5 million hands.

I have just over 79K hands at 5-10 with a winrate of 1.72 8 tabling but I was never able to deal with the huge swings at that limit So I moved back down to 3-6 even tho I as making more money at 5-10

I wasnt comfortable having swings that large even when my bankroll could handle it.

I made the switch to NL 6 months ago and I told myself I would move up the limits this time, no excuses. I started at 100NL, 6 months later I am still playing 100NL full ring with very little 200NL mixed in, with a 722 buyin bankroll

I have the skills and the bankroll to move up, I have 482K hands at 100NL with an ok winrate, 3.02 PTBB/100 16 tabling full ring (12 on Stars and 4 on Party) and I have 92K hands 8 tabling 100Nl 6 max with a decent winrate there also.

My problem is I go on crazy ass monkey tilt if I play higher then NL100.

I can play NL100 and not bat an eye if I drop 6 or 7 buy ins but god forbid I should drop 1 or 2 buyins at 200NL.

The moment it happens my whole game changes, it goes down the gutter. I don't know why but I get upset and I "need to win that money back"

I get emotionally upset over loosing 1-2 buyins at NL200 but at the same time I could care less If I just lost 7 buyins at 100NL over the past 2-3 days.

I've never been able to figure it out and I gave up trying a long time ago.

I've just accepted that I will forever be a 16 tabling full ring nit who will never move beyond 200NL.

I wish they made a pill for this.

[El_Hombre_Grande]

One thing you said kind of made a bell go off. Having some misgivings about moving up is one thing, but suggesting that swings of "hundreds of dollars" really gets to you is another. You will have to learn to deal with that if you hope to make money. Swing of hundreds of dollars at 3/6 and 5/10 are going to occur, period. No one's chart goes solely up with no variance, even the best.

[Transference]

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Hey Guys, Been playing seriously for about 18 months now and am a winner at 3/6. The problem i have is i'm scared to move to 5/10.

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Your just not ready to move up. Be thankfull, many people dont get scared when they should.

[llleisure]

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Re: Scared to move up - whats wrong with me??

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Nothing's wrong with you. I have a similair problem and I've been playing for a living for 3 years now.

Your "emotional bankroll" isnt as high as your "cash bankroll" Bill gates plays poker and when he does he plays $1-2 and $2-4


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I'm sure you offer some useful advice but my GOD man it's hard to get past this bit about Bill Gates playing 1/2 or 2/4. Not that we can proove it conclusively, but I'm about 99% sure Gates does not play 1/2 or 2/4 either live or online.

I just hate to think some poor fool will read that and be running around telling people a billionaire plays 1/2. Martha Stewart eats at McDonalds and Ted Turner doesn't have cable TV. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Merton0806]

when you first start in the 5/10 game, buy in for the same amount as you would in the 3/6 game. this way you'll be able to build up confidence at eventually buy in for the full. you'll also limit your potential losses. gl

[demon102]

I like to put aside a couple of buyins for the next level that Im just gonna take a shot with and when I do it i have the same mentality of people who gamble at the casinoes. If I win great if I lose that money than whatever it was to gamble with anyways.