Moving Up Level To Level

I started with $50 on my account and grinded out the 1/2c tables until I was up to $200. This took a long ass time. But as I read in a Doyle Brunson article, he had to learn the game for about 5 years on the "dirt road" before he headed to Vegas. The dirt road nowadays is the low ass limits online. But it was really effective for my game, I learned alot during those katrillion hands, and since getting to $200 I've moved up to NL10 and been killing it and am about $330. Was just wondering a few things from some more experienced players who have probably been through the limits and know what's comin.

- Do you recommend getting 20 buyins (500$) before moving up to NL25, or would it be a better idea to go a bit further? Maybe around $750, especially since I always play 4 tables at a time
- Is there a big difference when moving up from NL10? Or is it basically just the same game with a little higher limits
- How much of a swing can you allow in your bankroll (downhill swing) before you move back down a level?
- What should I be adding to my game as I go up in the levels
- Any advice in bankroll management would be nice, the only thing I really know is the 20 buyin rule, but even that seems a little low to me for some reason

20 buy-ins is fine for pretty much any limit below .5/1 if you're playing full ring. as long as you're capable of moving down if you run bad

There's a lot of good threads on here regarding bankroll management. (just search) You're right that 20 buy-ins seems light, as many will tell you that 20 is the minimum they would recommend for moving up. Me, I like to keep 25-30.

Playing 4 tables should actually reduce your daily variance, but you can still see large swings because you've got 4 times your buy-in on the tables. Going on tilt when multi-tabling can wipe out hours or even days of successful grinding, so be wary of the warning signs that you're not playing your best.

Personally, I found moving from NL10 to NL25 was a big jump. The competition isn't that much better, but the really bad players are less plentiful, so you have to work a little harder to get the same winrate. (since a lot of your micro profit is going to come from the weakest players)

Another thing to be ready for is the inevitable downswing. Everybody hits it somewhere along the way, and you have to be ready for it. That's where BR management can really save your hide. Nobody needs BRM when they're raking it in and their hands are holding up, but when you hit a run of cold decks, BRM can mean the difference between losing a few weeks of profit and losing your entire roll.

Sounds very similar to what I've been up to these past couple months. I'm finding that the game doesn't seem too different at the 25 NL, but if you're going straight from the .02/.05 to the .10/.25 I find the big issue is no longer being deep stacked. There may be fewer bad players, but it's made worse by the fact that when you get a donk to stack off light you're getting far less for it. I actually was feeling a big bold and wanted to test the waters when my bankroll was 420ish, but I made an exception because my 50 bonus was about to unlock. First try went well and I was catapulted to the 500 mark where I felt comfy. But it's now been a week or so at the .10/.25 and I keep wavering. Trying to sort out just what it is that needs changing. I'm not sure exactly what to do in terms of stepping back if the downswing hits, but I'm thinking about 250 or so is where I'd step back. The biggest thing I've noticed is it's harder to find great tables during off-peak hours. Lots more time and focus used on making sure you're sitting in the right games.

I thought the jump from 10NL to 25NL was the first considerable jump in skill level. There are actually regular players who stick around for a while at 25NL, and you'll need to adjust your play style accordingly. But you still make 95% of your money from donks who can't fold top pair.

I like to be nitty with my bankroll and play 40 buy-ins. It allows me to play a looser style, and I'm not concerned with losing a 300bb pot or anything like that.

I move down if I ever feel like I'm not beating the game. I'd probably move down if I had less than 30 buy-ins as well. For you, less than 15 is probably a decent rule.

i would say u should always take the safe road... so if ur trying to figure out between have $500 or $750 before moving up i would suggest taking the later.

Yeah I recommend taking it slow too I have had to rebuild my roll several times because I jump up to the bigger buy ins too quickly

Some of the big guns became this big because they took a shot and won big when they did that. Since then they havent looked back. But i think its smarter to use bank roll management. And its just how you feel about it.. if you feel good with only 10-15 buyins you can trie it.. Or for example mix it. so 2 tables nl25 and 2 table nl10

I never buy in when my bankroll isnt eligible... I start to play scared when I do that, too afraid to lose.

In my experience, 25nl is significantly harder than 10nl. More decent players and less stupid fishes. you have to start categorizing villains so that you adapt your play to their different styles. Using a HUD becomes a must. Don't give action to the nits, and learn what kind of hand strength each category of villains is willing to play for stacks with.

Do wait until you have at least $500 before moving up. and mostly fix a limit where you'll move back down to 10nl if you start loosing. Like drop down to 10nl if you get to $400. But as you move up in levels, do increase the number of buy-ins for your BRM. Like 25 buy-ins for 50nl and 30 buy-ins for 100nl.

if you feel like you crush 10nl right now, learn to play a few more tables. 4-tabling is pretty low. Most multi-tablers here play a lot more than that.

Thanks for the advice guys, decided I wasn't gonna move up to 25NL quite yet and cashed out a bit of my bankroll, but am still rolled to play 10NL so I'm gonna keep on killing it (hopefully) then move up once I'm at $750

And the reason I always play 4 is becuase they fit perfectly in the screen, on Stars atleast and it looks effing sweet and I always watch TV and stuff while playing (A.D.D. makes it too hard to focus only on the poker, but it's still mega easy to rape 10NL, I'm sure it is a -EV problem to have in 25NL though.. uh oh)

Add 5 tables, turn off the TV.

try playing 8 with the same setup, with 4 stacks of 2 tables. should help with the ADD

fyp