How many hands?

[mcj0014]

How many hands of .05/.10 NL on Pokerstars full rings should I play before making a decision about my profitability? I'd really appreciate any stats from others like VPIP/PFR, aggession factors and profit expectations at these microstakes NL tables. Also, do you always buy-in for the max? I've been buying in for about half and it makes me play more aggressively. Am I giving up too much here?

[TOmCowley]

Always buy in for the max, unless you really think you're just going to bust, in which case you shouldn't be in the game in the first place. When somebody makes a mistake, be in the position to extract the maximum. Having less than a full stack also makes some hands unprotectable in raised pots and prevents you from making some call/raise-one-street, push-the-next plays, because your push won't run anybody away. Basically, you're leaving money on the table and making it impossible to play some hands optimally.