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April 28, 2005
What a difference a day makes
I mentioned in my last post that I was considering moving up to .25/.50. The last couple of times that I've played at UB it's been at that level, but that was simply because G-Rob was sitting at a .25/.50 table and I think I lost my "wicked bad luck" stigma long ago. I'd buy in and play tighter than I would at my normal .10/.25 tables, careful to not get in any situations where I might find myself dominated, because I of course stood to lose twice my normal buyin.
And for the most part I would do OK. I would still make my stupid mistakes from time to time, but I would come back and I was leaving every night ahead. Maybe not ahead huge amounts, but ahead. I couldn't say the same thing about my recent runs at the .10/.25 tables...
When I first started playing poker, it was at .25/.50. In a lot of ways, I always felt like that was the level I "belonged" at. At least, that's what I wrote previously - that attitude disappeared somewhere; if I had to guess, it was after I moved up last time and got beat back down to .10/.25. 
I originally moved to .10/.25 after I went on a Sir-like run one week and dropped ALL of my bankroll at UB. I moved to .25/.50 after I had put in time there and was in general doubling my buy in most sessions. But when I got there...ugh. It wasn't what I remembered.
I had started playing poker at that level, and I wasn't that bad then, was I? And hadn't I gotten better since then, with all the reading, writing, and thinking? When did they get good? I quickly went back to .10/.25, where raise amounts were normal, player names were familar, and everything was safe and cozy. Ahhh...
PokerTracker showed me as a big red loser for .25/.50 and has for a long time.
I've been at .10/.25 now for a while. How long is too long for a level? Is there a set rule? DoubleAs mentioned to me that he played each level for too long in his journey up...that made me wonder how I would know when I was going to be ready to step up - had I passed that mark already? So last time was too soon - it's not like I can live at .10/.25 forever (nor would I want to).
So tonight after watching the WPT with Guinness in hand (getting the liver ready), I fired up Ultimate Bet and sat down at a .25/.50 table...and G-Rob wasn't even around.
Mourn did join me after a few orbits just because I couldn't believe how damn fishy the place was, and I always share with my blogger buddies.
So that's difference number one I suppose. I certaintly don't feel like a kid sitting at the adults table like last time. I sat down at what looked to be a moderately loose table with a lot of agression, and wasn't intimidated by it a bit. Turned out it was just a bunch of fish and someone had dumped a bunch of flakes in the bowl. The table quickly got passive, but the fishies stuck around, at least until they lost their money.
I played tight, not really messing around with any "marginal" hands "just to see". I'll save that for when I'm more settled and the bankroll is bigger. For now tight and agressive will do just fine, thanks. And I need to watch out for my own fish-like moments...we all have them from time to time; my big weakness is that I just can't stop myself. I have got to get through my head what John always said to me - "Sometimes we lay down the winning hand." I stick around too much when there are so many ways I could be beat - it's not that I'm really being outplayed, it's that I'm letting myself be outplayed - a subtle distinction that still results in chips sliding away from me. I need to listen to my instincts more, check more, and as always, read the board! Oh, and this helps a whole lot.
I won $84 for a couple of hours play. Tracker thinks I'm much less of a big red loser than I was this morning, and I don't have much at all to go before I hit the pretty green numbers. I'm rather pleased with myself.
And of course, there's always tomorrow...
Posted by April at April 28, 2005 02:06 AM
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Comments
Woo hoo! Good job. $84 at that level is HUGE!
Posted by: Chris Halverson at April 28, 2005 06:50 AM
April, what times do you usually play at UB? I'll probably be dropping there off and on to swipe at the bonus I have there.
And a $84 win at that level is nothing to sneeze at, that's a big win! Nicely done!
Posted by: Drizztdj at April 28, 2005 08:36 AM
Good job April.
Moving up levels for me is like changing high schools for a teenager. Exciting, but difficult/stressful to adjust to. Sounds like you were hanging out at the wrong high school the whole time.
Posted by: doubleas at April 28, 2005 08:44 AM
Hey! I'll have to sweep by when you're playing. One question--do you have bankroll fears at 0.25/0.50 NL? I've got about $140 on UB after clearing some bonus. I too am timid 
I don't have any doubt that I can hang at the $50 NL, I'm just more afraid of variance creeping in...
Continued best of luck!!
Posted by: Tony at April 28, 2005 09:46 AM
At those levels, it's all about bankroll and comfort. The opposition is just not that more difficult. Set yourself a bankroll point where you shift back down to the more comfortable level.
I've been very conservative myself in moving up, so I understand. Just remember that just like you can lose more, you can also win more!
Posted by: Poker Nerd at April 28, 2005 11:07 AM
Thanks everybody!
Drizz, I usually don't get to play till late at night, so I'm usually not logging on till 11 at the earliest.
Tony, I don't really have fears because of the way I've been playing at .10/.25 lately. Variance is always a thought, but really, I've become kinda numb lately. I've been dropping buy ins at .10/.25 like they were nothing. And once that's done, it's so much harder to get back $25 there than it is at .25/.50. So really, you can play $50NL and set a stop-loss for yourself of $25 and effectively not be putting up any more than you would at $25NL, but potentially take in more. For me, I was essentially playing $50NL at the $25NL tables by virtue of the fact that I was putting $50 on the table every time I sat down to play - so why not move up and play at the $50 level and at least then if I do take a loss, I can win it back quickly. Granted my data is much more limited at this point, but when I do lose at $50NL, those losses are much smaller than at $25NL - I think because I'm less inclined to hang on to a hand. Haven't stopped it completely of course, but given the increased amounts per bet, it certaintly slows me down a little.
Posted by: April at April 28, 2005 01:50 PM
Congrats, April. Nice win.
You can buy a lot of Phil Gordon memorabilia with $84.
Posted by: Joe Speaker at April 28, 2005 02:40 PM