[nolanfan34]

There have been a fair number of posts lately about people struggling to make the jump and adjustment from the .50-1 and 1-2 levels to the 2-4 and 3-6 games.

Going through that adjustment right now myself, accompanied by a bit of a downswing, I've been giving a lot of thought to reasons why it's tough for some to make the jump, like myself, while others seem to sail right through on their way to 15-30.

I'll present some thoughts below, and I'd love to get some feedback both from players who have made the leap, to see if this is off base, and also from players in the same boat as me, who might have other thoughts about the fundamental weaknesses in a person's game that gets them stuck at a certain level.

1. Inflated view of one's bankroll through bonuses:

For those starting at the micro level, bonuses are an easy way to build up the bankroll when starting out. Personally, my first $500 was really built through some casino whoring, so I could take advantage of the full amount of bonuses that poker sites had to offer. But because of that, I think bonuses have allowed me to play at a higher stake and move up levels before knowing if I was really "beating" them or not. Now that I'm hitting $2/$4, poor play results in losses outside of what a bonus would cover at the $1/2 and $.50/$1 level.

In essence, because I have the requisite 300 BB to move up a level, I think I might have a slightly inflated view of my actual poker ability - having the BR doesn't mean you're ready to move up yet.

2. Poor table management:

I think the 300 BB rule is a misnomer when people immediately jump into 4 tables at a new level. Others have mentioned in some good posts that tables at a new level should be eased in. Play one /4 table and 3 1/2s to get a feel for the new level. I think this is solid advice.

Yet I still see a lot of posts about people losing a chunk of their roll, invariably sprinkled with clues that they were 6 tabling at a new level, or something to that effect. 500 BB might be a better number if you're wanting to play 4 tables right away.

3. Recognizing tilt in it's most subtle forms:

Because the lower levels are so soft, I think the combination of slightly tougher play at 2/4 and 3/6, and the amount of money you lose when you play/run bad at that level, makes it even more important to have your emotions in check before moving up a level.

Personally, I find that tilt doesn't hit me in a maniac type of form, like playing crazy types of hands all of the sudden. Usually it's more subtle - starting to limp with slightly borderline hands in MP, "rounding up" my pot odds slightly and looking for a reason to call, and making what I justify as "value bets/calls" when I know I'm probably beat. These are small leaks in a single hand, but over the course of a session, I think they're killers when you play in a slightly tougher game.

I know I need to work on resisting those urges, and acknowledging tilt for what it is, based on a great definition in John Feeney's book - it's anytime you knowingly make a play with a negative expectation.

4. Lack of true evaluation of one's game:

Bernie made a good point in another thread that people don't bother to examine their game when they're running well, only when they're running bad. I think this is something I need to work on more. When I'm running good, the game seems easy, and I don't bother looking at big hands as much as I should, to see if I should have won more money in it.

And when I'm running bad, a closer look needs to be made at whether I'm really having downward variance, or am pressuring variance downward by my own poor play.

I hope others will post their thoughts here. Maybe this is common sense for many, but it was theraputic for me to put it into words. If you can think of other examples of mistakes people make when trying to jump levels, post them as well, I think it's a worthy topic.