A Very Good Exercise

[sweetjazz]

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I'm now back to playing a single table....I realise that this is not a positive thing for the speed of growth of my bankroll but I do think it will greatly enhance my learning curve of the game itself.

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You'd be surprised how much more quickly you are able to move up in limits once you have the bankroll for it. You're less likely to "take a shot" at the next limit and have to move back down, because you'll come in with a higher edge to begin with because of your one-tabling observations.

One-tabling cuts into your short-term bankroll growth, and it can cut into your long-term growth if you're ready for the next limit but are taking your time building up the bankroll for it.

I am also a recreational player, having moved up from initially playing 0.5/1. I have just started playing the 15/30 games and so far play either one or two tables at a time. (I'll usually play two tables if there are two really good buddies that I can be seated with, or if I am playing full ring games after I get a good read on my first table.) It's too early to say definitively based on results that I am a winner at the game, but I feel confident that I am beating the game and it really doesn't feel much more difficult than 10/20. I am less likely to play suboptimally when running bad because I trust my reads more. I see places to squeeze out value bets or to make a play that depends on certain specific game conditions being present in order to be optimal. Thus, while my hourly rate is presumably lower than if I were playing more tables, but I am still doing just fine and more importantly I am hopefully honing my skills so that I will in due time be able to transition to 20/40. And most importantly I (like you) really enjoy playing poker like this.