My rise up the ladder at $10 NL didn’t last long. After moving up when my bankroll reached $250, I had a few good sessions bringing me up to $278 (the highest my bankroll has ever been). The fun ended there though. After 3 straight losing sessions totaling $43 in losses which brought my bankroll down to $235, I decided to move back down to $5 NL. This is the second time, last time I moved up at $200 though. It’s not like I was getting crushed- just running bad right now. I’m not flopping much for hands, while the villains are flopping sets or the calling stations are spiking monsters on the turn or river. So I’m going to play at $5NL for a while, hopefully get some confidence back, get the bankroll healthy again, and go from there.
Maybe I should just play $5NL until I reach my $750 bankroll goal? Then I could just skip $10NL all together.
The dogs chewed on a deck of cards. Are they trying to tell me something?
Don’t feel too bad. I just had to move back down to $.10/$.25 after a very short run at the $.50/$1.00 tables. I’ve only been playing for a week, but I’m really enjoying it!
Only a week?!
I’ve been grinding it out online for well over a year now, moving up and down a few times (I started with $2.00 by the way). Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy playing, but it can still be frustrating at times. So did you skip .25/.50 altogether?
Good luck and thanks for stopping by!
The effects of the learning curve and variance are easy to underestimate. When I run bad, I tighten up more, play fewer pots and try to avoid marginally +EV spots in big pots. Personally, I think you could stay at .05/.10 because the players are not much better than .02/.05 but make mistakes for twice the money. But with it being harder to deposit these days, I understand not wanting to risk your roll either. Just be careful to not chalk it all up to variance. When we do that, we absolve ourselves of any responsibility to work on our game, which is the only thing at the poker tables over which we have 100% control. I have full confidence you will make it back stronger than ever. Hang in there Jim.
But I’m the best player in the world, so it can only be variance. Seriously though, you make a good point.
ahhh thats a shame. But hey, at least you didnt tilt off an extra $50 with the frustration. I think your showing good discipline. Its easy to become frustrated. sheesh I’ve only been playing a few months and am feeling it right now. Your obviously good enough its just patience.
keep grindin’ jim
1 losing session and you drop down? I started playing $10 tourneys last week and before I started I set the following rules. Move up once I’m over 500 and move down once I go below 200. I started the week with a few wins, but dropped quickly (and close to 200) by Saturday. I decided instead of dropping down, I would stick to my plan and yesterday turned a profit to finish up for the week. I’ve been reading your blog and see that you’ve been struggling with the $10 but instead of being so quick to drop, try setting a range and sticking to it. Who knows, that extra day might bring something positive.
McTap03s last blog post..Sitting Out
@ s1ndr0me- I try to avoid tilting, but even when it gets the best of me, I usually find a way to get out before I do too much damage. Thanks, see you around.
@ McTap03- To be accurate it was 3 straight losing sessions, not just one. I see your point though. My range is currently $250, and after my second losing session I was at $245. I gave it another go though and after losing $10 more I decided to move down at $235. I won $20 in the next few sessions at $5NL, so I’ll probably move back up now. Thanks for the input, I really want to give $10 NL a long look, but not if it is risking my bankroll. So I’m sticking with $250 for now.
For me I am going to grind STT to build a bankroll. But in any case, being able to play fearlessly is a part of game choice. Going down is usually a good idea, even if just to re-adjust your focus.