Bankroll and Moving up

[ajmargarine]

Some general thoughts on moving up for a winning SSNL player:

--The accepted wisdom is that you should have 20-40 full buy-ins for the level that you are playing at. I believe this is sound advice. This guideline should keep you from ever going broke. The higher the level, the higher the variance, the more buy-ins you need. You want to play optimally at all times, with bankroll NEVER being a consideration for an in-game decision.

--Determine your base comfort level (bankroll and limit). Say you've been a NL50 player all year. You've been winning at an OK rate. You feel real comfortable, by personal experience, with a 22 buy-in bankroll, $1100. This is your base comfort level. It'll be different for everyone.

--But, you want to move up. Do you wait til you have $2000-$2500 in the bankroll to make the move to NL100? NO. Start taking shots sooner. Say, when the bankroll hits $1500, move up and take a shot. If you lose, and find yourself back at $1100, go back to NL50, and grind away til $1500 again. Rinse, repeat.

--Know that when you hit your base comfort level, you'll go back down to the level you are comfortable with. But, you don't need a full bankroll to take shots at moving up.

--Make the move permanent when you are fully rolled for the next level. But, you would be wise to think of yourself as being in a range when it comes to limits. Don't think of yourself as a NL100 player. Feel comfortable in a range NL50-NL200. Play where your instincts tell you to play. Playing real well. Play at the high end. Playing crappy at a bad time of the day, play on the low end. Etc. (TWP)

--The mid and high guys will tell you that all SSNL is full of donks and fish and all levels are basically the same. Pffft. Don't kid yourself. Each level is more difficult than the one below. If you are beating NL50, NL100 will be more difficult. There's less fish and more skilled players as you move up. HOWEVER, the difference in play is not that great. If you are beating one level, you should be able to be a winning player at the next level. It just takes time to get acclimated.