Where to restart?

After the worst 2 days of bad beats and 2nd-best monsters in my life, my little $1k bankroll is gone and I'm trying to decide where to restart. (I'm not saying I was by far the best player or anything. But the string of beats was truly epic. I will be glad to post them if anyone doubts this.)

I have no doubt that I was playing above my head with too small a bankroll. Also instead of moving down in the levels when the ugliness started I moved up to win it all back. I KNOW this is just out and out gambling. But I had gotten lucky doing this in the past, and I do have a well paying day job to cushion the blow. IE - I'm not out on the street.

I feel like as long as I don't do anything dumb I'm a winner at the $27s, how much above the rake I don't know. I think I'm hovering around breakeven at the $60s, and in over my head a little at the $119s (I like the 6-handed turbos at Stars - like poker crack). I've tried one $215 for grins, busted out on the bubble ATdd to ATcc. Up until then I had gotten pretty lucky whenever I played over my head, which had significantly jumpstarted my bankroll.

I know that the correct thing to do is to go back to the $27s or lower, play ABC poker, and build my BR back up. But the problem is... I don't wanna. I like playing against the trickier (to me anyway) players at the $60s and up--players who are capable of coming over the top of continuation bets with air, checking the river w/a monster, folding TPTK, etc. To me I feel like I'm really learning how to play in tough games and being forced to learn to recognize and execute more sophisticated tricks. As opposed to just waiting around to bust someone calling with A7. (I'm not saying everyone at the $27s does that. But there are almost always 1 or 2 at the beginning, and that's where you make your ROI right? I just feel like mixing it up at the $60s is getting me closer to my goal of someday being a truly great player. I wonder whether learning how to crush the $27s would be as beneficial.

So anyway, sounds like I just answered my own question. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I would really appreciate hearing from anyone on this board who may have faced a similar crossroads. Thoughts, suggestions, flames, anything. Please blast away.

thx,
Matt

[tigerite]

Not being funny.. but how did you lose a $1k bankroll in 2 days if you were playing at a sensible level for such a roll (i.e. $22s in my opinion) or dropping down when you lost too much to be adequately rolled for your current level?

Ah sorry missed that part of the post. Well, start over again at the $11s and next time, be sure to have a sensible bankroll requirement and not to play above it and rely on "having good luck". I had the same strategy when I played a year ago. Now I'm much more risk averse.

[bones]

So put another $1000 in, play over your head, lose it again and consider it tuition. There's nothing wrong with this approach if you don't care about the money.

I should add that discipline is one of THE keys to becoming a great poker player. It seems pretty clear to me from your post that you lack it, and that will probably hold you back more than you realize.

[tigerite]

And tough if you "don't wanna" unless you want to be in this self same position again in a few months. Being a successful poker player is about more than knowing how to play your cards, positions and what have you. It's also about having sensible money management and never going above your head, or relying on luck. Remember that we, as successful poker players, are always fighting against luck - never relying on it. That's for donks to do. You obviously don't belong at the $60s if your attitude is that you are "too good" for the $11s. It's a losing frame of mind and before you go any further I suggest you snap out of it.

That would be a negatory on both (2nd paragraph). My point is not whether what I did was prudent, it wasn't. I'm just trying to decide where to go from here.

I guess I should have added that I also keep feeling this time factor in that I don't have nearly enough time in the day to get the experience I need fast enough. And I don't feel like the poker boom is going to last forever. Although I think it might be a little silly on my part to be stressing about taking a few extra months to get out there as a full time pro.

[tigerite]

You're being very silly to think about such trivial things as whether the 'poker boom' will last long enough - this sounds like an excuse to me that you have used psychologically to tell yourself to play at a level where you don't belong, both experience and bankroll wise. When I came back from my poker hiatus, when I was playing the $55s before I left, I started right over at the $11s again. Sure I wasn't there long, because I only needed $500 to have 100 buyins for the $22s, and so on. This was just 4 months ago and now I'm at the $109s. If I can do it, no reason you can't. I wasn't even half the player 4 months ago that I am now, either.

Bones nailed it for me - you have to have discipline to play poker, and I don't just mean by folding a lot in the early levels of an SNG.

[ QUOTE ]
I should add that discipline is one of THE keys to becoming a great poker player. It seems pretty clear to me from your post that you lack it, and that will probably hold you back more than you realize.

[/ QUOTE ]

Point very well taken.

[microbet]

Tigerite and Bones said it all. Using your income as BR and your BR as tuition is fine if you are comfortable with that, but make a plan and don't tilt up.

And, represent Redondo.

If you just want to have fun and you have a good job, then play whatever levels you feel like. If, however, you want/need to make money at this, start at the $11s or maybe the $22s.

In response to your other post, if you have a good job, then you don't need to hurry up and be a poker pro. Besides, even if the "boom" ends, you could still be a poker pro. You would just have to be really good.

Will

Ok, thanks bones, tigerite, microbet. Initially I debated whether there was any point in making this post, but now I'm seriously glad I did. And please don't think that I think I'm "too good" for the $11s or anything. I just hadn't really had my clock cleaned moving up, until now. Oh yeah, and my job is incredibly boring and I'd really like to quit. I love what I do (internet dev) but this job is thr programming equivalent of taking out the trash every day. I really don't know why they hired me. Also I think discovering poker was going to make any job boring. So I'd like to quit, work contract gigs so I can have a more flexible schedule, and pursue poker as much as I can.

So anyway, here's the plan:

1. Seed the bankroll at $400.
2. Start playing the $27s (maybe the occasional 6x$35 for variety). If I run dry, start over at the $11s.
3. Don't move up until I have 20+ buyins, so $1200 until I can play the $60s again.
4. Adhere to #3, even if I get pissed at the poker gods, prove that I have the discipline.
5. Get pokertracker and pokerstove, try to dedicate an hour pre or post session to analysis, not just playing.
6. Post problem hands here.
7. Find a coach/mentor (already started this process w/johnnybeef). I did offer to pick up ZeeJustin's dry cleaning just to watch him play for a session, but apparently he's busy these days or something.
8. Work with study partner (started).
9. Switch to Party, get rakeback (I think I have a guy). I'm curious if the tables really are much softer than Stars.

Anything I'm missing on there? Again any thoughts, flames, etc. very much appreciated. I'll keep you posted on how my plan goes.

thx,
Matt