I think...

[Billy LTL]

..., judging by the general quality of the analysis posted on this small stakes board, quite a few posters here could easily move up to the higher stakes.

Is it just a bankroll issue, or something else that prevents you from doing so?

I enjoy participating on the mid-limit board because those are the stakes I play for. But I get more value from this board because, ahem, my mid-high stakes opponents should, shall we say, be reading this forum here. But they're not. They're the guys playing 5-10 no fold'em, or rather, they should be.

I realize the competition is much tougher in a Vegas 30-60 game than my regular 50-100 sessions (what can I say, I worked hard to make my games happen) but still I wonder why a few of you are taking shots at 20-40 or higher?

Just curious.

[Homer]

I'm pretty sure that a few of the posters here play at the mid-limits from time-to-time, and most of the people who don't will do so eventually. It seems to me that there are a lot of posters here who have only been playing for a year or two, and have been quick learners. Since they have not been playing very long, they may find it difficult to believe that they are good enough to hold their own in a mid-limit game. Or, they may still be working on building up a roll so that when they do jump into a higher limit, they know that all their hard work won't be blown by a few bad sessions. Another possibility is that the mid-limits are above their "emotional bankroll". They may have the money and the skill to play that high, but wouldn't be comfortable putting such a large amount of money at risk.

-- Homer

[Vehn]

A few reasons I'd assume. One is because several posters play only online, and maybe aren't comfortable playing for "real money" on the internet above $3/$6 or $5/$10. Another is while it may be easy to "talk the talk", its not always easy for everyone to make the right move while sitting at the table. But mainly I'd say its because building a bankroll takes a long time. Think of it this way, if you started with nothing, played 10 hours a week, won 1 bet an hour, and played $5/$10, it would take over a year to have a sufficient bankroll for $10/$20. And this isn't even counting the time it takes to learn the game and swallow some inevitable loses. Personally, I have a good bankroll for my $8/$16 game and will continue to take shots at the $15/$30 with "extra" money until I can comfortably play it full time, but I'm not going to jeopardize my $8/$16 bankroll to do it. I would suspect that most of the regular posters to small stakes have been playing poker seriously for less than 2 years.

[Tyler Durden]

I think it's painfully obvious to everyone here that I am good enough to play 75-150, but I choose to continue playing 5-10 b/c it's a much easier game.

[JTG51]

Well Billy, I doubt you are talking about me, but maybe my answer will explain others stiuations also. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

I play both at the casino and online. When I play live, I almost always play 10/20. Online, I never go higher than 5/10. My B&M hands usually go in the Mid to High Stakes Forum, my online hands usually go here.

I've almost taken a shot at 20/40 more than once. The 10/20 game at my cardroom is usually a much better game, and I don't really have the bankroll. I always end up just sticking with 10/20.

[Bob T.]

Hi Billy,

I like to think that I have the game to play higher, but sometimes life takes over. Over the last two years, I have won enough playing low limits, that I would have a marginal bankroll at 30-60, and a very adequate bankroll for 15-30, if I still had it all.

But, my wife was out of work for 6 months, while she was pregnant with our son, who subsequently spent the first two months of his life in the hospital, and underwent a major surgery. He is in perfect health now, but my poker bankroll got ate up in the process.

Right now, she is out of work again with a repetitive motion injury from being a blackjack dealer. I hope that I am now good enough that I can maintain enough bankroll to play 5-10 online, and 6-12 live, or I might have to get a /forums/images/icons/mad.gif part time job.

Good luck,
play well,

Bob T.

[Michael Davis]

I start shaking like a little kid whenever playing for "real" money. I'd rather go heavily into debt...

Also, I have a serious fear about being successful in higher limit games. It might stop me from going to school.

Mike

[balt999]

Bankroll is my biggest obstucle...I would love to play 10-20, 20-40 every weekend, but I just don't have enough to play it consistently...Although I will take a shot a couple times a month.

Plus I'm more comfortable at the Vegas Low limits, because generally the games are very good, and a good player can make a nice supplemental income...especially at the Station Casinos, which I have touted on this site many times.

Plus I have other interests that dips into my bankroll...

[Stu Pidasso]

The highest game in my town is 10-20 and its seldom going. Consequently I mostly play online at limits of 4-8 and below; occasionally 5-10 if I see a juicy game. As my bankroll has increased I have moved up in limits. I will move even higher, its just a matter of time and effort.

Stu

[Vehn]

You're not really looking at the word "bankroll" correctly.. you're spending the money that you've been using for poker. That's not a bankroll. The smartest move I ever did is once I started winning some decent cash was sticking it in a box and I don't touch it except to get some of it for my session stake.

[Yerma]

[Mikey]

"Another is while it may be easy to "talk the talk", its not always easy for everyone to make the right move while sitting at the table."

-this is by far the best reason why people do not and should not move up.

We all know what the right move is when we talk about it, but do we actually have the discipline to execute when we are faced with the actual situation.



I don't think so.....many times, and I'm guilty of this too....we actually get caught up in the game....caught up in the hand, and we burn chips. We find any excuse to be in a hand sometimes.

It's called DENIAL.

[Billy LTL]

Bob - Sorry you've had such a rough few months. I'm glad your son is doing fine now. Nothing else is important. Apparently RSI can be pretty much fixed with physio and exercise so I'm sure you're wife will end up okay too.

-------------------------------------------------

Thanks to everbody for their responses. Like I said I get lots of good insights from this forum on playing against my regular lineups.

In many of my games I am usually playing against very smart, well-educated people who have risen to the top of the respective professions. These aren't kids starting out -- by and large they are either retired or near retirement. To get to the positions they've achieved a lot of hard work, endless study and tons of smarts were required. So it's a continual mystery to me why these hard-charging overachievers don't try to figure out how to improve their poker games.

But then, maybe enough money is being passed around amongst them over the course of a few sessions that they've taken the view they are doing pretty good.

Best of luck. Billy