Cautiously contemplating moving up to 200NL. I seriously need your advice.

[youri]

Hi all, I hope you are having a good day.

I just recently ( a week or so) moved to 16NL after I built enough bankroll hoping one day.. maybe next 2 years move to 200NL as it is a stake that I can make a decent daily income out of. Its been almost 4 months since I deposited 30 bucks into pokerstars. I started playing 2NL then, moved to 5NL then 10NL and now I'm at 16NL. Its been decent, Its been a slow ride but, worthwile.

I got the news that I'm going to receive an unexpected gain in income, around 7500 dollars. that would give me 37 buy ins for 200NL more than enough for my bankroll needs for a specific limit, ( I operate within 20 to 25 buy ins). Now, with this money I got the bankroll required for 200N, however I'm reluctant. I'm not experienced enough for this limit heck not even 50NL and I'm honestly nowhere near a top top level yet, I'm still a student of the game. Should I move to 200NL and learn more in the process against obv good players? or should I continue in trying moving up the ladder slowly as it might be the more natural thing to do?

Note : If I move to 200NL I'll still have my regular job to pay the bills etc so I won't have that extra pressure if I lose it.

 

[crazycitizen]

Hellooo

Well firstly, congratulations on your poker journey so far, and also for your unexpected gain!

I have always been taught to diversify investments. So, personally I would split the $7500 up a bit. Some solid investments, considering something like a training course, or improving your living circumstances, etc.

You could still leave a decent chunk for poker, but I wouldn't put all of your poker bankroll on a site. You could keep it safely in a bank account to dip into if you needed to reload or take advantages or bonuses.

I would say 20-25BIs for medium-level cash games is a bit on the risky side.
At 50BIs @ NL50 you need $2500. Which sounds more reasonable to me than jumping to NL200. If you want to err on the risky side of things.

In your position, I would take the opportunity to increase my BIs to 50BIs and move to NL25, and keep another 50BIs in a separate 'poker rainy day' bank account.

Footnote: I am a conservative investor, and I appreciate big gains come from big risks. So if you feel it, go with your gut and try NL200, as long you are prepared to move down if needs be.

Words of caution: NL200 is nothing like NL16 imo.

Hope that helps

 

[gustav197poker]

I think you should do as you have done before. Start 50NL first, then 100NL and then 200NL. From 50NL you will already face players with different marked personalities. I do not recommend jumping directly from 50 to 200NL, because there is a space in the middle that is good to go through, to know the different ways of reasoning of the players. At 200NL you arrive with the most refined theoretical and practical concepts. The game is the same but the way to play it becomes more fluid and changes a bit. Consider 50-100NL as a workout to reach 200NL more prepared.
Greetings.

 

[eberetta1]

You never mentioned where your current bankroll is at., unless it is 16(NL) x (20-25 buyins). But I am assuming.

I would keep my poker bankroll separate from my income bankroll.
You earning $7500 and using it towards poker is no different than when you deposited $30 for a bankroll. You have 4 months under your belt, be patient and do not use anymore than $1000 of the windfall towards your bankroll. If I lost the $1000, I would deposit a second $1000 blaming it on variance. But I would not give anymore of the windfall towards improving the bankroll. I would let my poker play increase my poker bankroll on its own.

 

[eetenor]

Hi all, I hope you are having a good day.

I just recently ( a week or so) moved to 16NL after I built enough bankroll hoping one day.. maybe next 2 years move to 200NL as it is a stake that I can make a decent daily income out of. Its been almost 4 months since I deposited 30 bucks into Pokerstars. I started playing 2NL then, moved to 5NL then 10NL and now I'm at 16NL. Its been decent, Its been a slow ride but, worthwile.

I got the news that I'm going to receive an unexpected gain in income, around 7500 dollars. that would give me 37 buy ins for 200NL more than enough for my bankroll needs for a specific limit, ( I operate within 20 to 25 buy ins). Now, with this money I got the bankroll required for 200N, however I'm reluctant. I'm not experienced enough for this limit heck not even 50NL and I'm honestly nowhere near a top top level yet, I'm still a student of the game. Should I move to 200NL and learn more in the process against obv good players? or should I continue in trying moving up the ladder slowly as it might be the more natural thing to do?

Note : If I move to 200NL I'll still have my regular job to pay the bills etc so I won't have that extra pressure if I lose it.

Thank U 4 Posting

Moving up to 200NL is not about bankroll it is about skill level!

You stated your skill level is not that of a good 200NL player which means you are asking should you gamble?

Have you taken the time to watch the 200NL games and tag all the weaker players and the good regs?

How many hours have you spent watching 200NL to see how different the strategies are?

In 4 months of play have you studied advanced poker concepts every day?

Have you refined your ranges in 3 bet and 4 bet pots as the 200NL players do not just call and see what happens?

What method are you using to randomize when you flat and when you 4 bet parts of your range?

How many hours of study have you put in in 4 months reviewing your hands that you captured with your HUD?

Where are you making the most equity? Would you still be making that equity versus 200NL players? Would 200NL players make those same mistakes often enough for you to profit?

Are you winning or crushing at your current stake?

Winning is not enough for you to think to jump to 200NL unless you can some how play only against the weakest players at that level.

Do you know what your weaknesses are?

At 200NL the regs are evaluating your HUD stats every time they play you. Are you prepared for players who will learn your weaknesses and attack you there over and over and over again. They look for slight edges like folds to turn raises too often or calls river shoves too wide. Then they hammer you in those spots because they have a lot more than 25 buy-ins and the money means nothing to them.

Last point

At the stakes you are playing there may not be a single strong player on the table with you which means good at poker is good enough. In a six max you have 5 players that you can take equity from.


At 200NL 6 max most tables are going to have 2+ players at the the table who you cannot take equity from as they are more skilled than you.

That means you can only get equity from 3 players at the table and the 2 good players are never going to let you just take equity easily. They will battle you for that equity. They will put you in spots that make you want to puke and if you guess right they will just reload and do it again and again and again.

200NL is not recreational poker it is war are you ready to go to war?

Hope this helps

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Hi all, I hope you are having a good day.

I just recently ( a week or so) moved to 16NL after I built enough bankroll hoping one day.. maybe next 2 years move to 200NL as it is a stake that I can make a decent daily income out of. Its been almost 4 months since I deposited 30 bucks into Pokerstars. I started playing 2NL then, moved to 5NL then 10NL and now I'm at 16NL. Its been decent, Its been a slow ride but, worthwile.

I got the news that I'm going to receive an unexpected gain in income, around 7500 dollars. that would give me 37 buy ins for 200NL more than enough for my bankroll needs for a specific limit, ( I operate within 20 to 25 buy ins). Now, with this money I got the bankroll required for 200N, however I'm reluctant. I'm not experienced enough for this limit heck not even 50NL and I'm honestly nowhere near a top top level yet, I'm still a student of the game. Should I move to 200NL and learn more in the process against obv good players? or should I continue in trying moving up the ladder slowly as it might be the more natural thing to do?

Note : If I move to 200NL I'll still have my regular job to pay the bills etc so I won't have that extra pressure if I lose it.

Hi Youri,

You are very right to feel reluctant about this idea of moving up so quickly.

Generally speaking, unless the gain in income came from poker then it doesn't make sense to move up limits within poker. Just because you have the bankroll for a limit doesn't mean you should play it.

What people often forget is that the more important thing to have for a particular limit is not the bankroll, but the SKILLSET to compete at that higher level. And this is why moving up slowly and progressively is the preferred way to go. It gives you the time to understand the nuances between limits and learn the skills necessary to succeed in bigger games.

As many posters ITT have mentioned education is what will help you speed the process. If I were in your shoes I would probably invest $500 into training material, $1000 as a bankroll cushion (so that maybe IF you feel comfortable you can go to nl25 from nl16) and put the other $6000 into some long term investment (so that in a couple of years it will be back to $7500 on it's own!)

If you're looking to improve in cash games Jonathan Little has done an incredible job with Pokercoaching Premium. And here's a link to save 50% on your first month + get almost $500 in bonus courses - http://pokercoachingoffer.com

If tournaments are more your thing, then our very own abassador here Ryan Laplante has hands down the best program on the market (and the price is incredible) - http://winningmtts.com

To Learn more about them here are a couple of videos.

Take your time my friend, when it FEELS right to move up, when the CONFIDENCE is there, then you'll know the time is right and your bankroll & stress levels will thank you for taking the patient path!

 

[youri]

Thank you guys a lot for your helpful comments. I'm gonna continue trying to move up the ladder slowly and progressively. Its the smart thing to do.

Not ready to go to war in 200NL.. Not yet.. hopefully one day I'll get there.. Thank you again. God bless you.