Freerolling

[bigfernz]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this, but here goes.

I play in a .25-.25 or .25-.50 NL Hold 'em home game once or twice a week. A typical buy-in is $10 (we know that's too short), but multiple re-buys are common for the other players. My bankroll is especially short, so I usually don't re-buy. I think I play OK, but my table image is too tight and I don't make what should be easy river calls even with scare cards out (i.e. getting 4-1 with 2 pair against a 4-straight on the board). With the multiple re-buys for some, we often dont have enough chips in the bank, so it's common for a late arrival to buy chips from a deeper-stacked player.

I find that when I sell my buy-in and play with the profit (usually leaving me with ~$15), I play better. I semi-bluff more, make better calls, and tend to win more money. I usually find myself reluctant to make bets with draws when I havent guaranteed an even session by selling chips. The downside of this is that by selling off either 20 or 40 BB depending on the game, I lose a lot of muscle and win less if I double up.

[The Goober]

1) you're using the term "freerolling" incorrectly. Freerolling is when you can't lose (like a no-entry-fee tourney or when you and another player are splitting the pot, but you've got a draw to beat him). Losing $10 of profit is the same thing as losing your $10 buy-in - remember, its all one long game.

2) you shouldn't allow money to ever leave the table until someone cashes out. If you sell chips to another player, the cash should stay on the table and is considered part of your stack. Obviously you can play however you want at a home game, but this is standard in virtually all table-stakes games.

3) you already know what you problem is - you just need to stop playing scared. Buying-in for more money might help you here. I think its better to buy in for $20 and then leave if your stack drops below $10, rather than buying-in for $10 and leaving when you are broke.

In general though, I think you need to stop worrying about if you are winning/losing/even for the session, and just concentrate on always playing your best game. Keep good records and pay attention to your winrate over a matter of months, not hours.