[celiboy]

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Why do you play poker? What are your goals? Starting with $100, over the past year I've built that to $400 slowly moved up from .05/.1 to .5/1 and 1/2. About four times I've ventured into 2/4. That does scare me since it's beyond my bankroll, but the level of play wasn't that much tougher than 1/2. (Maybe it goes up exponentially at some point.) In any event, my goal is to make a few hundred bucks a month to buy some extra toys and dinners out. I think I can do that when I move to 2/4 or maybe 3/6.

So, why do you want so badly to move up? And more to the point, why are you so afraid of losing money? You are clearly very careful about playing within your means, so going bankrupt probably isn't an issue. How old are you? Are you a college kid or (like me) a middle aged man with kids to support? I came from a low-income family, and even though I'm now comfortably middle-class, I stil have problems buying some little extras that I can logically afford. Somehow if I can buy them with poker money, it doesn't count as being a spendthrift. Identifying why you are afraid of losing a little money that you can probably afford might help with the fear. To overcome it, do what you've started doing, but make yourself committ to a low, but very certain number of hours a week at the next level, win or lose. I suspect you'll win, or at least not lose very much, and you'll become more comfortable.

Again - try to identify WHY you are afraid of losing the money.

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With bonus whoring, you can easily clear $400 a month and never go beyond .5/1. Bonuswhoring will make you much more money than actual winnings until you hit 3/6 or 5/10....