when to take shots

when is at advisable to take shots and play higher than your br rules?

From what I've heard and understand, it's when you have a good sample of hands at your current level and feel like you are starting to crush it. I would venture to guess around 30-40k hands.

And by "take shots" you are not doing anything but getting a feel for that level before you step in. It's like checking the water with your toe before putting your bathing suit on.

k so a couple more months then only at 12k hands

Taking shots is more about taking a risk in order to move up stakes. So you'd do something like take a shot at 30 buy ins and move down if you drop 5 buy ins at your new level (25 buy ins - so a 30/25 shot). And since it is rather easy to lose 5 buy ins in the grand scheme of things, especially at a level you aren't used to, taking a shot like this is a risk. Ie. if you run bad you will probably fail.

Contrast this to taking a slower approach, where you might say move up at 40 buy ins and move down if you drop to 30 buy ins. This gives you 10 buy ins and enables you to handle alot wider variance.

You can take a shot whenever you like - you don't really need a certain amount of hands. It is more about how comfortable you feel at those levels and how many buy ins you are willing to risk in order to move up quicker.

whenever u can and hope u come out on top.

Also be willing to take shots in bigger games when the table is especially fishy. I'm not quite rolled for 10/20 stud 8, but when the game is full of fish, I'll drop in and play.

If a super beluga fish you've just looted moves up in limits to win his $ back, go ahead and move up with him.

you can take shots when you feel comfortable enough. One way i like to do it is with a less than maximum buyin...that way i don't break the 5% of total BR at any one table.

Okay, I get it now. I was just giving advice on how I remembered it being given. But I was a little mistaken on when it could take place. Thanks for straightening that out, feitr.

Just don't put more than 10 percent of your bandroll at risk at any given time. That's the rul that I heard Chris Ferguson goes by.