Up and down in poker

I've been grinding my bankroll up little by little. But to be honest, it gets soooooooo boring. I've been playing at the .25/.50 level (no limit) and can consistently make money in the ring games.



So Sunday night, I stepped up to the .50/1 level. I was two-tabling and within the first 15 minutes, I was up a buy in. Hey, I might as well jump right up to 1/2 or even 2/4. Why bother with these "micro" levels. I'm so good that I can broaden my range of cards I play. I will just outplay opponents after the flop. I am so good that...... OOPS, lost a big pot. OOPS lost another one. I'll just make it back with a $33 SNG. OK, that sucked. How about another? Lost that one too. At the end of the night, I am down 2 buy ins at the .50/1 level.



Moral of the story: Stay patient. Move up slowly. I should have focused on one table and made sure to read the betting patterns at the table. Although not much different, there is a difference between the play at the .50/1 level and the .25/.50 level. I have a very good feel for the .25/.50 level, but obviously I don't know the .50/1 level yet. I will get it.



So last night, I donked out of the MATH early. I was actually playing like an idiot. I think I was still sipping my own kool-aid, believing I was better than everyone. And, I'm glad it happened. I took about a half hour off and then went back to the tables. And this is what happened:


The smiley face is me getting my token for the Big Game on November 18th (I used a $26 token so I am in the Big Game for $6.60). And the circled donkeys are me getting another $26 token and winning 2 buyins at the .25/.50 NLHE level (although in the picture I am only up just over half a buy in).


Poker sure is a lot more fun when you are winning. And I have a lot to learn. Most importantly though (at least for me) is to stay patient. I don't need to play sooooooted connectors from any position on the table regardless if I have a maniac behind me. I can fold KK when an Ace comes on the flop. I don't need to automatically go all in with JJ or QQ.

I am only a few pages from completing Harrington on Hold'em Volume I. I will post my review in the next week or two. I have also started the FTP Tournament Strategy Guide. I've heard great things about it.


Don't forget about the Mookie tomorrow night. I am 50/50 to play since I'll have 3 kiddies on sugar highs and a teenager out roaming the streets looking for mischief.


Check out Miamidon's Blog and congratulate him on a deep run in the Sunday $750K on FTP. And there is a great story here about Jordan's big Cash that he got the seat from kajagugu.

Stay patient...