Section 6

Moving up in Levels

So you have had some success and you bankroll is growing at a steady rate….what do you do from here? Do you spend the money on that new TV you’ve had your eye on….hell no! Your bankroll is your ticket to earning more money. What you should do is move up in levels. What this means is step up to the next buy-in level of SnGs….if you are playing at the $5+.50 level, and you have a winning track record and a solid bankroll it is time to move up to the $10+1 level. The obvious reason for this is to make more money but more importantly to use you skill and time more efficiently. Most of us are doing this on a part time basis and the time we spend playing poker is limited…therefore the more effectively we can manage our time and increase out potential return directly translates into profits. If you are a student and have a lot of free time or play poker for your sole means of income managing your time effectively is just about as important as bankroll management and playing solid poker.

If you have accumulated a $350 bankroll, there is no reason for you to continue playing $10+1 SnGs….simply put; they are a waste of your time. Why not step up to the $20+2 level and double your potential return in the same amount of time? For the beginning player it is important to establish a baseline of success….essentially a winning track record before you step up to the next level. However the most important factors in this decision should be the size of your bankroll and confidence level in your play. One you have committed to stepping up you simply must stick to it and make it work. There is no reason to move back down again…and here are a few reasons why. Once I stepped up to $20 SnGs and adjusted to the play there (adapted my game) I found it extremely difficult to play $5 and $10 SnGs...so I gave them up. It is somewhat counter-intuitive, you would think someone who is successful at the $20 and even $50 SnG levels would be able to make a killing at the lower levels against less experienced players. Unfortunately this is not the case. Once you adapt and change your game to play against "better" players, it is difficult to readjust to a looser and often nonsensical play of the less experienced. Once you start to move up in levels you see that people are able to lay down average to good hands...they won't hold on to A-Q or A-K trying to hit on the river calling big bets all the way. They won't hang on to small and middle pocket pairs when the flop is all over cards. They begin to respect bets, raises...and playing in position.....K-T and Q-J no longer look like "great" hands that they just can’t fold.

Of course there are still players at the higher SnG levels that will make bone-headed plays, or will push all-in pre-flop with 9-9 on the 5th hand of the tourney and crack your aces....but this type of player is much less common at the $20, $30 & $50 level than it is at the $5-$10 level. I feel that you must find a level of play that suits your bankroll and your style……and play there. If you have proven to yourself that you can win at a higher level there really is no reason to step back down....why put yourself through that adjustment period again. People say…and I generally agree with them that there is not much difference in the level of difficulty or play between the $10 and $20 levels. Although there are subtle differences and nuances to each and every level of game that you pick up on and adapt to. Once you have adapted it can be difficult to move back…..some people are very good at transitioning between the games, and have no trouble stepping up and down….even switching between Ring, SnG, Limit and NL with very little variance – I am not one of those people. I tend to do better when I can remain focused on a particular style of play.

The one exception to moving back down in levels is if your bankroll dictates it. Essentially if you make the step up and have 15-20 buy-ins and find that your ITM% has significantly decreased and your bankroll is approaching 15 buy-ins for the lower level, then you should absolutely move back down to reduce the likelihood of going on tilt and doing further damage to your bankroll. If this happens you must take a serious look at your game and figure out where the holes are. Did you over-estimate your ability, are you uncomfortable with the higher stakes, are you simply having trouble adapting to the new style of play?
The last little bit of information I will leave you with is a snapshot of my personal experience that has some information you may want to consider when you move up….at minimum will illustrate that we all struggle in some fashion with the decision to move up.

Many people have been after me to step up my play…including my wife, and several friends here at FTR. Although I have the bankroll which would support $100+9 or even $200+15 I still play a large amount of my SnGs at the $20+2 and $30+3 levels. I have begun to play a significant number of SnGs at the $50+5 level recently and have found the transition to be fairly smooth. I can just hear the questions now…..Dave, you just told us that it is a waste of your time to be playing at a level that is below your bankroll, what gives? There are several factors that are making me hesitant at making the clean break and leaving $20 behind me forever. One factor is confidence….even when people tell you that you are skilled enough to play at a certain level, you have to believe it yourself or you will fail. Another factor is that $100 is real money to me, I make a good living and can afford to lose $20 or $30 at a time….for an extended period even, but $100 is a mental roadblock for me. As we all know, playing from a position of fear is at the least counter-productive and a worst a recipe for disaster. It seems silly that I would not bat an eye at losing five consecutive $20 SnGs, but I have difficulty coming to grips with a $100 single investment. And that is how I overcame my challenges with playing at the $50 level….I simply viewed it as an investment. It is an investment with a fair amount of risk, but it is not throwing money away either. The final factor is that I……like you have a limited time to play. When I get home from work I do my pre-game ritual and start to play but I only have 4-5 hours a night during the week Monday –Thursday to play poker. What it boils down to is it is much easier to jump right into two or three $20, $30 or $50 SnGs quickly as opposed to a $100 SnG. The tables fill up much more quickly and you do not waste time waiting around for the tournament to begin. Efficient time management….why wait 15-30 minutes for a $100 SnG table to fill up when I can play a $20 two table a $30 and a $50 right now? If you are playing poker for more than entertainment purposes you certainly need to manage you time efficiently and maximize your potential return. Do not let other people tell you when it is time to move up, when your bankroll can support the step….and you are not be worried about the investment you will know when it is time. Remember that it is very satisfying to achieve an ambitious goal…plan and manage your time and money then commit yourself wholeheartedly.

Section 6 Summary
• Do not spend your bankroll
• Re-invest your winnings by stepping up a level
• Commit to that level and make the necessary adjustments to make it work
• Do not move backwards unless your bankroll dictates it
• Do as I say, not as I do