I've got $252.00.....Now what??

BE AWARE: I like to ramble along.

I've only been playing for a short while, and I know $250 is chump change. BUT I'm not ashamed to ask any question, b/c you have to start some where.

I dropped 20 bucks in at a Tiger about one month ago (read about it on the PR Reviews Page). I went in with the approach that i wasn't going to gamble, but play smart cards even if it was only $20.

I played the $5 NL tables.

I seem to win at those tables 7 to 8 out of every ten or so trips. Just playing tight aggressive pre flops, and loose aggresive post-flop. Which usually has me leaving with 15 to 20 bucks profit with an occassional dollar or two profit as well to get me to my figure of a 70% win rate. On losing sit downs I usually drop 10 bucks plus. I will always seemingly start breaking tables up when I do win three times my starting amount. They love to draw hands there (Usually 90% of the table wants to limp in), and after realising that I make them pay when I have a hand, but could be out drawn with two suits or possible str8. When I see this and I have top solid pair or even trips I usually push AI. With the attitude that yeah you can beat me with that draw, but your gonna have to pay for it (50% of the time I'll get called). I do this no matter if I'm sitting at $2.50 or $20.50. Not sure if that approach is right, but it seems that betting 100% of the pot after a flop doesn't effect these guys when they are on the draw. So I just up the stakes on them. However this approach does seem to break tables up here. I guess i should say flockem' anyway if they don't like my style, right?

Okay back to my situation. Up until today I had turned the 20 bucks into $123 (give or take a buck). So for some unkown reason I took $100 and sit down at 2-4 fixed (Stupid move now that i look back at it) to work so hard only willing to piss most of it away in one sitting.

Anyway It's the first time I've played fixed here, and I don't like fixed games (especially with 10 seats. No sixers here). However I guess I was just wanting to seeing if the action here was as silly/fishy as it was at $5 NL. Well I guess I was right, but I did hit a few str8's and trips along the way to leave with a $125 profit in an about two and a half hours. I saw 41% of the flops while I was there, and won 28 hands.

Anyway my question is this. Should I just settle down, and go back to my 5$ NL games which I seem to have pretty good control over. Or is it time to move up to $25 NL? They do not have $10 NL here. Is $250 even enough to start with for a $25 NL game? Playing fixed isn't really an option I want to consider right now if ever.

My goal is to build up this $250 to $2500. Then start trying to play for a steady profit of 10 to 25% of bankroll to be withdrawled every 30 days or so. How am I going to do this playing at $5 NL tables? Is a 10% to 25% increase in my so-called BR per month just pure folly?

Any advice or guidance is welcome!

SwanDawg

Congratulations on your success at the $5 tables.

Your goal now should be to not be tempted to do what you did at the $2/$4 tables ever again, lest you think yourself a poker god and slaughter your bankroll in a week (see also, the Newbie Circle of Death in the beginner's section).

Play well, play within your bankroll (there's a thread on that in the beginner's section as well - short answer is $250 for $25NL is quite risky), and the results will follow. After you've established yourself at the new limits, then you can look at what your returns should be.

Also, bonus whoring is a great way to build a bankroll. Definatly look into it once you have a solid $25NL game.

Thanks for the response CN.

I'll give that a look see, and what is "Bonus Whoring"?

SwanDawg

Disreguard that last post about B-hoing...I just clicked on the link, and realized what you are talking about.

Thanks,

Swan

My plan for you would be to leave $150 at your old poker room and take $100 and go play a new poker room that

• 1) offers a $20, $50 or $100 bonus for your deposit and
  2) offers $10NL (some Primas, Absolute,) but
  3) doesn't waste any bonus by depositing too little (except maybe Absolute - they always offer more bonuses)

While your money is moving around (hours, days) you can still play your old room with the $5NL.

gl

Originally Posted by SwanDawg

I saw 41% of the flops while I was there (2/4 Fixed), and won 28 hands.

Seeing 41% of the flops on 2/4 fixed seems very risky. You're very fortunate you had a good session. Don't ever do that again. It's russian roullette with only 2.5 buy ins. You can play well and lose that in a snap of typical bad variance. It's oh so tempting, but you just can't do it. Think about the experience level of most people there playing with a 2K roll. They WILL own you more an more as you sit longer and your variance shifts back and forth.

As for whether you should play $25 NL, I would give it a try with 10 buy ins. No biggie. If you lose a couple then back off and move down. Set a stop loss for yourself at 8 buy ins. It's not overly dangerous for you to be at $25 NL with that roll.

Thanks for the advice Rondavu. i've not played much since that sitting (only once actually), because when it was all said and done I knew I'd gotten off lucky. Which got me coming here again and reading, and re-reading all I could.

Eight buy ins at 10 each sounds fine to me.

Stick to 5 or 1oNL for the time being.

Bonuswhoring is a great way to build your BR.

Just remember, bankroll management is rule #1 for a good player. Anything otherwise makes you a gambling idiot.