How hard is NL?

[TheScientist]

Why is this important? Well, obviously Bob shouldn't be playing NL100 anymore if he is interested in making the most money. NL200 would be the logical option, but if his winrate in NL1000 is even slightly >2PTBB / 100, there is an argument to be made for jumping levels as soon as possible. And aside from the money advantage, what is better training if you plan to make your home NL1000? 100,000 hands of NL1000, or some combination of hands below that level? Seems to me that if Bob can handle it with his bankroll, and if he can even eke a small winrate from the start, he'd be best off to throw himself into the NL1000 game.

I think this works similarly for limit - maybe up to about 20-40, IMO. (Though your bankroll better be ready to weather the swings) Also, I realize that there is a cap to how far one could expect to skip limits and get away with it. At a certain point, ex; NL games where the BB is $25 or $50, or 100/200+ limit, the style of play and the scarcity of fish make it too unlikely that an excellent lower stakes player could thrive.

The thought is for someone with an aggressive bankroll strategy to take frequent high shots (moving down in limits quickly if unsuccessful, and up if running well). If this person were to hit a heater right off the bat, or get enough of a running start to conquer the inevitable swings, it's quite possible they may never have to move down.

Feasible?

[Morrek]

Much better to play 10k hands or so per limit and if it works out move up to the next one. Jumping to 10x the stakes is not recommended unless you have a 100buyin roll or something for the new limit and are prepared to take a 15buyin downswing just to learn.

Also, I don't think 1000nl is the best jump, as it's a fairly aggressive game (atleast compared to 100nl), I'd recommend 400 or 600nl instead if you really don't wanna move one limit at a time. Using awesome table selection this could work assuming you are a talented player

[Wools]

Scientist: You fail to mention standard deviation. The greater your edge in a game, the lower your deviation. Having a minute edge is going to be very, very swingy.