Thinking about money stops me moving up?

[sweeng8]

I recently feel that I am starting to get way better than the limits I am accustomed to playing, but I feel that im not giving myself a chance to progress due to my valuation of the money im playing. A little personal backround- im a student with enough money to live. I dont have a lot but not in need of a lot to live. I dont really need poker money to get by, but it is still a lot compared to my real life earnings.
Anyway, I feel like I can build a bankroll at 1/2 and 2/4 quite easily but when I get to $6k or so in my bankroll I get stuck. The excitment of 1/2 and 2/4 loses its appeal, so I move up for a bit. Recently I decided to have a go at the highest levels i could afford to play. I played 5/10 and 10/20 heads up just as a test to see how i get on. I am amazed at how crazy these players are! They push on any draw or any pair. Anyway, the point is even when I have the bankroll to lose a fair bit, it hurts when I lose a lot of money (as I define it in real life). Having just played at these higher level games I am shocked at how poor these players are, but I cant get over the money at risk. I am writing this coming off the back of dropping 2k to 2 chasers who both hit and I feel horrible. It means little to me in a poker sense- i was right both times and im sure i will make it back- but in real life money i feel sick losing that much.
Is this a problem for anyone else? Is there anyway I can remedy this or is it just a case of waiting until i have a secure job to play these higher limits?

[nanamar05]

The players aren't poor in those levels, instead they are playing metagame rather than their cards.

You will crushed in the long run in those limits with your mindset.

[ycjason]

chances are the higher the limit, the better the player, if you think differently, it's either short term variance (you were lucky to be playing against a fish) or you do not quite understand the game at that level yet. Remember, a few hands does not mean anything in the long run. btw, skipping a few level with a super short bankroll (3x buyin on 10/20?) is almost certainly not a good idea.

[erac22]

I'd recommend an account of at least 40k and a total "poker worth" of about 100k in order to play 10/20nl. With 6k you should be playing no higher than 1/2nl and maybe taking shots at 2/4nl.

[aaokwitme]

[ QUOTE ]
The players aren't poor in those levels, instead they are playing metagame rather than their cards.

You will crushed in the long run in those limits with your mindset.

[/ QUOTE ]
"You will crushed in". learn to write, stupid.

[revots33]

Everyone has a psychological bankroll that may be very different from their actual bankroll. When you play above your psychological bankroll, you start making slight adjustments to your play (you might not even realize it while you're doing it) out of fear of losing a large amount.

This is why all the "rules of thumb" about bankroll sizes for different limits don't fit everyone. I have a good job and can easily reload if I go busto. There's nothing to stop me from playing much higher limits than I do now. But I am not comfortable risking that much of the money I work hard all week to earn, and it would likely effect my play negatively.

Also (and this is not a trivial point) - as you move up in limits the players get much better and much more aggressive. This increases your variance even more, making it that much tougher if you're playing above your psychological bankroll.

Bottom line you need to be honest w/ yourself about how much real world $$ you are comfortable losing during a single session or a prolonged downswing, and adjust your limits accordingly. There is no law that you have to move up when your bankroll hits a certain amount. The goal is to make as much money as possible - sometimes staying at a lower limit accomplishes that goal more than moving up would.

[sethypooh21]

Also, it's a mistake to change the form you are playing while moving up. HU is a different beast, and combine that with the dramtically higher stakes, and of course you're going to feel like a fish out of water (pun somewhat intended).

On the other hand, you've basically hit on the hardest part of moving up - once you reach a certain level, the "actual dollars" you are playing before becomes a sticking point, where you feel like you can't push marginally advantages because "that's a lot of money". There's no way around this besides experience and having a BR to cope. Maybe try playing more tables of 1/2 and, when properly rolled (~15k or so), 2/4 to keep it challenging and build your roll faster, and then take some occasional shots.

[Praxising]

[ QUOTE ]
but in real life money i feel sick losing that much.
Is this a problem for anyone else?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is only a problem for the 99% of poker players who are not sociopaths. (only kidding slightly) Read The Poker Mindset. Maybe a stop/loss control would assist you for a while. But mostly play more and more and more and more.....

Understand the Law of Large numbers, or whatever it's called. Make yourself play 100 hours at .50/1.00. Graph it. After a while, as long as skill is fairly constant, luck becomes a negligible factor. You will KNOW that any loss is just something that's a dip in a game that never really ends no matter how many levels or tables or venues you change.

Sounds like you're on the cusp of a huge breakthrough - ride the wave. It really is OK to make enormous piles of money playing poker.

-prax-

[shat4brains]

play like 8+ tables of 50 or 100nl for a month and see what you can make....a lot more than you would think if your good

and i think every person who has ever played poker considered doing this ,, its pretty normal but resist the temptation its not worth it. if you play on 3 buy ins YOU WILL GO BROKE.

[Sarcastic7]

Don't play out of you comfort zone, if you are worried you will lose: Don't because you will.

However, when you are ready....When I was just playing 3-6 I would here the dealers commenting all the time at how the 10-20 games were just as loose. This is hogwash, at least in Vegas and especially at the Mirage. I bought in a few times and got stroked every time. Then I got a piece of advice that was hard to believe at first. The guys who play 10-20 for a living are unbeatable so don't try. Instead, buy in for one rack (500) at the 20-40 table. It's a four chip game and just play it like it was an aggressive 4-8 game.

He was right. I have yet to make the big killing yet and the swings can be dizzying, but between that and some 15-30 I am having a good time at the middle level limits.

Of course you have to play tight and the competition is better, but isn't that expected.