Taking a break/Starting over?
 

Background.

2 years ago, I placed $500 into Party Poker and have since played well enough at low limits that the initial stake and a couple more thousand have been back safe in my bank account. I'm not a HUGE winner, but I've managed to make roughly 6K playing poker, plus another 6K in bonuses at least over the last 2 years. I started at .50/1 and gave myself a challenge to move up in stakes when I hit 300 BB for the next limit. I'm now playing 3/6 poker. I did something similar with SnGs, and moved up from the $5.50s to the $55s. At the B&M casinos, I'm playing mostly 3/6 or 4/8 and frequently find myself thinking that I'm the best player at the table. And if I'm not the best, I can easily figure out who is and avoid them.

So I'm feeling a bit burnt out right now. With regards to SnGs, I think this is the level that I've reached where I can't go higher without deep, dedicated study. I've been running poorly/playing poorly over the last 50 or so SnGs, though I did run it up just before that. My SnG bankroll is not in jeopardy. I have enough money to continue playing the $50s for a little while longer. I'm just concerned that my earlier good run has me convinced that I'm great and that my current run is due to bad luck. I should take a more objective view of things.

Similarly, the 3/6 online games are much harder than the 3/6 B&M games, and much harder than a 1/2 online game. Whereas I'd just assume that 1/2 players were donks (and they mostly were), I now have to find out who is a donk and who isn't at the UB or Games Grid 3/6 games. (Party Poker is still more donk than not there).

To top it off, work has picked up again, and I'm training for an ironman triathlon which leaves me with less time for poker which isn't that bad of a thing.

Anyways, has anyone else felt this way? I'm feeling a bit burnt out right now and think I need to take a break and/or move down in limits. I think moving down to playing 2/4 and $30 SnGs would be a good spot for me. I think one of my weaknesses at the higher games is a lack of focus. I should turn off the TV, and stop surfing the web and concentrate more on the game at hand.

I'm not interested in being a WPT champ or anything, though I do want to take a shot at a WSOP preliminary event next year (all my bonus dollars are going towards WSOP next year). At the same time, I do want to get better at this game, and I'm not sure that dropping down in limits will accomplish this. Ultimately I want to be good enough to crush the higher games.

Advice? Comments? Similar stories?

Re: Taking a break/Starting over?
 

Instead of taking a break I just learned a new form of poker, then when I got to the same point as you are saying I went back and found it much easier to advance again.

Re: Taking a break/Starting over?
 

I was felling "burnt out" in June and switched to 7-stud for a month. I went back to hold em and July and August were my best 2 months ever. Coincidence?

Regards,
G.I.