when to say when

[morgant]

I have been lurking around here for several months now and feel that i could use some advice. I have been playing online and was doing overall fairly well in tournaments and 5/10 games. Yesterday i had a tremendous run of cards and was seeing a bunch of pots. I felt bullet proof and moved on up in limits. I got crushed and gave back everything i have earned this past week. I tend to fall into that pattern. Run good move up get crushed, settle down build back up. How many times does this have to happen til one learns his lesson. Does the lesson ever get learned? How can you move up in limits at a gradual pace without demolishing your roll? I am sure a lot of these questions are player dependant but i just wanted to let out some steam and see what sort of strategies other players are using........Thanks
morg

[Al Schoonmaker]

If you send me your email address, I will send you a series of articles I wrote some time ago for Poker Digest, "Should you move up?"

Please tell me whether you have unzipping software. You should have it. You can download basic unzipping SW at winzip.com.

Regards,

Al

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

How can you move up in limits at a gradual pace without demolishing your roll?

Set a bankroll level you need to reach before you move up. Say you're playing 5/10 now. So set a target of say, 200 BB before you move up. That would be $4,000 for 10/20. That way, you'll have enough to withstand some early swings. Now that's alittle short of the recommended 300 BB, but at least it's a target.

[Warren Whitmore]

Started playing 5:10 stud with $3000. Built my bankroll up to $6000 over 600 hours. This is a good thing one big bet per hour and 600 hours playing time plus enough of a bank roll ($6000) to play 10:20. I did not do so however, instead I decided to play 12% of my time at 10:20 (1 hour in 8 and the other 7 at 5:10). My bankroll eventually grew to ($7000) now I played (2 hours at 10:20 & 6 at 5:10). My Bankroll grew to ($ 8000). Move to 6 hours 10:20 and 2 hours at 5:10). Bankroll went up to ($9000) play full time at 10:20. Bankroll went up to ($12000). Played 1 hour of 20:40 and 7 hours of 10:20. Yes its tough on the ego to play an hour with the big kids and then purposly move back down but so what? If you do it this way your bankroll will always be sufficient and more importantly.
(1) You will have no opportunity to become delusional.
(2) You will build self confidence as you go.
(3) You will Know (as opposed to guess) where you fit in within the pecking order.

The time to cry uncle is when while phasing into a new limit after 600 hours you notice that you are earning less per hour than you did at the lower limit. Don't quit! you may improve, but do drop down to 1 hour of every 8 at the higher limit until you do.

[rockoon]

I'm posted something along these lines before but here I go again:

A very old and wise man sits on top of a hill with an open offer for a wager with anyone. He will pay 2:1 on a fair coin flip as long as you follow a simple rule when wagering. You must risk exactly half of your total net worth.

Along comes a thick headed young man with $1000 to his name. Knowing hes in a positive situation he puts up $500, half of his net worth. As luck would have it he wins the bet. He now has $2000.

But as I said, hes thick headed. His net worth is now $2000 and the old man is still offering the same deal. So he puts up half of his net worth, $1000.. and he loses. He now only has his original $1000.

In the grand scheme of things the thick headed young man wasnt lucky or unlucky. He won as many flips as he could expect.. half of them.

But here he is showing no gains at all even though the old wise man is offering 2:1 on a fair coin flip.

The first wager was $500 and the second $1000, this is like moving up or down in limits in poker.

The moral of the story is dont bet so much of your bankroll that you can't recover your losses without getting lucky.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
The first wager was $500 and the second $1000, this is like moving up or down in limits in poker.


[/ QUOTE ]

Except for the whole 2:1 thing. I don't get this analogy. Maybe I'm thick-headed as well.

Anyway, back to the young man. Why do you think he was thick-headed? You wouldn't have taken the bet the first time? You wouldn't have taken the bet the second time?

[Ulysses]

I'm not sure how many people actually have the discipline to approach moving up the way you did, but I do know one thing for sure. A lot of the regulars at the cardrooms I play at would have a lot more money to gamble with had they tried an approach something like yours. Of course, that would mean I'd have a lot less, so maybe you should just shut up.

Nice post.

[GuyOnTilt]

If you don't move up in limits until you have a sufficient bankroll and feel you are skilled enough to do well, then your bankroll with dever get "demolished." Stay put until you have at least 250 BB's at 10/20 before you decide to take a shot at making the jump.

[baggins]

seems like good advice to me...

[SittingBull]