How to force myself to move to higher limits?

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Mporter1986

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Hi,

I'm brand new to the community and I need some help. I know that some of you will read this and will think I'm being ridiculous but I can't seem to get past it.

In January 2018 I decided to start playing poker again after a long break away from the game and my initial plan was simple all I wanted to do was deposit $50 online and start building a bankroll.

I decided I wanted to play cash games and due to the limited bankroll, I started playing 2NL.

I play between 1000 - 2000 hands pretty much every evening.so since I have started playing again I have played just shy of 400000 hands.

I'm happy to say that since the start I have always been a profitable player and even after the sample of 400000 hands I'm profitable over that sample so I know that I'm beating the game and it isn't short term variance.

fast forward to now July 2019 and I have grinded the $50 up to $515 however I can't seem to get away from 2NL. I have played some 5NL and on small samples, I can beat that however I just keep going back to 2NL.

I realise that realistically, I'm rolled for 10NL based on a conservative bankroll of 40BI but I just can't seem to get away from 2NL.

Has anyone else been through this? It may seem silly but I really need some advice so that I can get past this.

Please don't slaughter me in the comments.

Thanks in advance.
 
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If you feel the best playing 2NL and you're on the profit, stay there
 
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fundiver199

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As long as you are a hobby player and dont have larger ambitions, then I dont really see, why this is a problem. Sure you are more than ready to move up, but if you dont mentally feel like it, why force yourself. I cruised pretty quickly through 2NL and 5NL, and for me personally tilt started to become much more of an issue at 10NL or higher. So you are perhaps enjoying your hobby more, than you would, if you had moved up.
 
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Mporter1986

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As long as you are a hobby player and dont have larger ambitions, then I dont really see, why this is a problem. Sure you are more than ready to move up, but if you dont mentally feel like it, why force yourself. I cruised pretty quickly through 2NL and 5NL, and for me personally tilt started to become much more of an issue at 10NL or higher. So you are perhaps enjoying your hobby more, than you would, if you had moved up.


When you say you cruised through 2NL and 5NL what sort of time frame was that? And you mentioned tilt at 10nl do you think that was due to the speed that you got to 10NL?
 
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Marowin

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First you should write why you play poker? Only for fun? You can play NL2 for ten years or longer.
If you want go ahead you should (for sure) train your mindset.
 
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fundiver199

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When you say you cruised through 2NL and 5NL what sort of time frame was that? And you mentioned tilt at 10nl do you think that was due to the speed that you got to 10NL?

It was something like 2 month. I deposited 100$, moved to 5NL after 20k hands, ran hot and started taking shots at 10NL with 200-250$ in the account. And no I dont think, it has so much to do with the time frame. Its more, that winrates are lower at higher stakes, so variance is more brutal with longer and larger downswings.

And then of course the higher the stakes, the more I tend to care about the money. Its not, that it really hurt me financially to lose 50$ in a bad session, but it bothers me more than losing 10$ playing 2NL. This part is very personal. If someone is used to play for 500$ in live poker, I am sure, he dont give a damn about losing 50$ online.

As someone else wrote, if you have larger ambitions in poker, then you really have to do some mental training and expose yourself to the pain of seeing some larger swings to your bankroll. But if its only for relaxation, there is nothing wrong with just enjoying the low variance and low stress environment of playing 2NL.
 
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Mporter1986

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First you should write why you play poker? Only for fun? You can play NL2 for ten years or longer.
If you want go ahead you should (for sure) train your mindset.


I will do this but what type of answers would indicate to you that I should stay where I am and what would indicate I should just move up? Because I know that there will be a list of reasons as to why I play?
 
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Mporter1986

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It was something like 2 month. I deposited 100$, moved to 5NL after 20k hands, ran hot and started taking shots at 10NL with 200-250$ in the account. And no I dont think, it has so much to do with the time frame. Its more, that winrates are lower at higher stakes, so variance is more brutal with longer and larger downswings.

And then of course the higher the stakes, the more I tend to care about the money. Its not, that it really hurt me financially to lose 50$ in a bad session, but it bothers me more than losing 10$ playing 2NL. This part is very personal. If someone is used to play for 500$ in live poker, I am sure, he dont give a damn about losing 50$ online.

As someone else wrote, if you have larger ambitions in poker, then you really have to do some mental training and expose yourself to the pain of seeing some larger swings to your bankroll. But if its only for relaxation, there is nothing wrong with just enjoying the low variance and low stress environment of playing 2NL.


Is there anything you could suggest on training my mental side?
 
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fundiver199

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I guess it depend, why you keep going back to 2NL. Are you scared of losses, do you enjoy being way better than the average player in your game, or what is it, that keep you coming back to 2NL?

As for dealing with the higher variance and better competition at higher stakes the key point is to try and separate yourself from the results and especially short term results. In its core poker is about decision making, so as long as you made the right decisions during a session, everything is in principle fine, even if you lost.

Is this easy, no, am I personally quite there yet, no. But essentially this is what, its al about. Control negative feelings and be aware of, when you are not playing your A-game, so that you can stop in time.

In theory this also apply to 2NL, but when games are very soft and the bankroll enormous, its easier to get away with having a few tilt problems, since there is always some donkey around the corner waiting to dust of his stack to you.

There are still plenty of bad players (fish) at 10NL, but typically they are not quite as bad as those on 2NL especially postflop. They usually do have at least some kind of fold button, and the good winning players (regulars) are better as well.
 
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braveslice

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It may seem silly but I really need some advice so that I can get past this.

1. So, name 7 reasons you think someone might still stick on 2NL instead of higher levels.
2. Then pick and name 2 most important reasons that apply to you from the 7 you came up.
 
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Mporter1986

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1. So, name 7 reasons you think someone might still stick on 2NL instead of higher levels.
2. Then pick and name 2 most important reasons that apply to you from the 7 you came up.


1.Edge over the field
2.No Risk of going broke
3.The cheapest way to learn concepts and put them into play
4.Soft Games
5.Predictable
6.Cheap and therefore I don't mind when a cooler happens
7.Can play multiple tables on autopilot

I can only come up with 7 but the 2 that I feel apply most to me is 6 & 7
 
Evan Jarvis

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Hi,

I'm brand new to the community and I need some help. I know that some of you will read this and will think I'm being ridiculous but I can't seem to get past it.

In January 2018 I decided to start playing poker again after a long break away from the game and my initial plan was simple all I wanted to do was deposit $50 online and start building a bankroll.

I decided I wanted to play cash games and due to the limited bankroll, I started playing 2NL.

I play between 1000 - 2000 hands pretty much every evening.so since I have started playing again I have played just shy of 400000 hands.

I'm happy to say that since the start I have always been a profitable player and even after the sample of 400000 hands I'm profitable over that sample so I know that I'm beating the game and it isn't short term variance.

fast forward to now July 2019 and I have grinded the $50 up to $515 however I can't seem to get away from 2NL. I have played some 5NL and on small samples, I can beat that however I just keep going back to 2NL.

I realise that realistically, I'm rolled for 10NL based on a conservative bankroll of 40BI but I just can't seem to get away from 2NL.

Has anyone else been through this? It may seem silly but I really need some advice so that I can get past this.

Please don't slaughter me in the comments.

Thanks in advance.

Hi MPorter,

There is nothing wrong with staying in a game you feel comfortable with. I know many great players who have played 'overrolled' for their limit for a very long time and they were highly succesful.

Perhaps you enjoy playing NL2 but you find NL5 and NL10 to be stressful. Perhaps you aren't comfortable with the idea of losing $5-$10 on a hand but are comfortable with the idea of losing $2. This is fine, and this is normal.

A good way to look at it is to not label yourself as playing NL2 vs NL5/10 but simply playing poker. And when you're playing poker and looking to maximize profits, then playing in the best games is the right way to do it. Perhaps you know the players at your limit well and don't want to play with strangers, again this is normal.

When I was moving up I did it very slowly and strategically, adding maybe 1 table of the higher limit while keeping most of my tables of the lower limit. Or only playing the higher limit when the game was good, and cutting it down to 1 table so I could be really focused and present.

What your most likely dealing with is a challenge of your comfort zone. You've found somewhere you're comfortable and the idea of moving away from it is challenging. Know that if you want to play for pleasure, then it's fine to stay in your zone. If however you want to grow and become the best player you can be, at some point you will have to challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone, as this is the place you will grow the most.

For this reason I advise taking the chances on days you feel well rested and confident so that you have the energy to work at your edge here. The present day you may find it a little stressful and challenging, but the future you will be very happy you pushed yourself to grow.

Here's a video with a bit more info which may help

Wish you the best of luck, and congrats on putting together such a solid bankroll at NL2. That's very impressive stuff!!!
 
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bagoly696

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How do you count the number of plays played? You're a clever player! Congratulations to!
 
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braveslice

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6.Cheap and therefore I don't mind when a cooler happens
7.Can play multiple tables on autopilot

I can only come up with 7 but the 2 that I feel apply most to me is 6 & 7
For me it seems that you want to zone out with poker, there is nothing wrong with that really. I do it time to time in poker, unintentionally and intentionally, I would guess we all do. Currently I use game called Cities Skylines to zone out myself.

It’s totally ok as long as you don’t drink alcohol too (this is not zoning out but rather ‘passing out life’) or play too long per day. Personally, I would say 30 minutes zoning out per day average should be plenty.

Imo, so if you can stop wondering if you do right (you do) while playing 2NL just continue. However, you can’t completely relax if you keep thinking if you do something wrong, in that case better quit poker completely and zone out with something else.

Good luck. And don't take my reply too seriously.
 
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Mporter1986

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Hi MPorter,

There is nothing wrong with staying in a game you feel comfortable with. I know many great players who have played 'overrolled' for their limit for a very long time and they were highly succesful.

Perhaps you enjoy playing NL2 but you find NL5 and NL10 to be stressful. Perhaps you aren't comfortable with the idea of losing $5-$10 on a hand but are comfortable with the idea of losing $2. This is fine, and this is normal.

A good way to look at it is to not label yourself as playing NL2 vs NL5/10 but simply playing poker. And when you're playing poker and looking to maximize profits, then playing in the best games is the right way to do it. Perhaps you know the players at your limit well and don't want to play with strangers, again this is normal.

When I was moving up I did it very slowly and strategically, adding maybe 1 table of the higher limit while keeping most of my tables of the lower limit. Or only playing the higher limit when the game was good, and cutting it down to 1 table so I could be really focused and present.

What your most likely dealing with is a challenge of your comfort zone. You've found somewhere you're comfortable and the idea of moving away from it is challenging. Know that if you want to play for pleasure, then it's fine to stay in your zone. If however you want to grow and become the best player you can be, at some point you will have to challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone, as this is the place you will grow the most.

For this reason I advise taking the chances on days you feel well rested and confident so that you have the energy to work at your edge here. The present day you may find it a little stressful and challenging, but the future you will be very happy you pushed yourself to grow.

Here's a video with a bit more info which may help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYuxeOW1v5g

Wish you the best of luck, and congrats on putting together such a solid bankroll at NL2. That's very impressive stuff!!!


Evan firstly wow i can't believe you have responded to me. I watch so much of your content on YouTube and I can't thank you enough for that.

I have decided that I will do exactly what you have said tonight and will add a table of 5nl. I will post on here (good or bad) how I get on and go from there.
 
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Mporter1986

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Bit of an update for how I got on:-

Hands 416
My C Won $7.82
BB/100 37.60
 
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