Umm... I think when I first started, I was extra tight and conservative. I would not sit down with the maximum amount because I felt I was risking too much. There were two issues that got me to that point:

At any particular time, I may have to put all my chips into the pot, and if I had less chips with me, I felt more comfortable making certain calls. If I thought I had the best hand, yet someone bet $50 into me, I would not be willing to find out for that price. However, if my bankroll only allows me to call $15 and I felt my hand justified those dollars, I would make the call. So, really, I play better.

The other issue was that a bad beat would erase my entire bankroll. So, I minimize my risk against those bad beats. What I tend to do is sit down w/ less than the max, I play until I double or triple up, and then I leave the table and sit down elsewhere with my normal starting amount.

Managing my money in that way has been working pretty well for me so far.