At 2.5x the buy-in i turn into a donk....help me figure out why

[elmitchbo]

i've been playing alot of small stakes 6 max NL lately. i feel like my natural style of play works pretty well there, but for quite some time now i've been having a problem.

every time i get up to about 2 or 2.5x the max buy-in something happens to my game and i donk off everything i've made(and then some occasionally). it's very rare for me to sit down and just lose my stack. 9 out of 10 times i build my stack once i get into the game and get a feel for the table. for that reason i think it's not simply a matter of playing in a game that i can't beat. i feel lilke i can always get ahead, but once i get some chips things start to go bad.

i have a few theories...

1. when i get some extra chips i start to play poorly. this would be the most obvouis problem. i don't really feel like anything changes in my game, but it is certainly possible that i start making calls or plays that i wouldn't have made with my starting buy in. i don't really think this is the problem, but that might be wishful thinking on my part.

2. people figure me out, and i fail to switch gears. often times it seems that as my stack grows a bit the other payers catch on to what i'm doing and adjust for it. so i actually am playing the same as i was with my starting stack... it's just starting to back fire.

3. the time frame is always about the same. i wonder if i just get to a point where i lose some focus and start playing poorly just because i'm tired or bored.

i think all 3 are possible, and it might be a combination of them all. i've been trying to self analyze, but i can't figure out which of the scenarios i listed is the real problem. i know i should stay in a game if it's profitable, but i'm starting to think i should get up every time i get ahead. then i could take a litle break and sit back down with a regular buy-in.

does any one else have the same problem.... play well and accumulate some chips and then donk it all of in no time? any suggestion on what to try?