Time to take a shot at $25NL ?

September 17, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Well I have just finished another big winning session. I feel I am playing pretty well, losing the minimum when behind (or maybe I’m getting bluffed ?!) and winning stacks on my big hands. I’m definitely running good, but I feel I’m also getting full value out of my big hands.

When my bankroll was around the $350 mark, I said to myself, I’d take a shot at $25NL when my bankroll reaches $375. Well, when I did in fact reach $375 (very briefly, because I had a big downswing just after), I chickened out and said I’d take a shot when my BR reaches $400!

Well, here I am, my bankroll is at $400 and I can’t decide whether or not to go for it. I definitely think my game is good enough, and I really want to start playing at a level where a winning session actually does result in a bigger bankroll increase than just a couple of dollars on average. No, what is really holding me back is that if I do drop 2 buy-ins (the stop-loss limit I would give myself before moving back down to $10NL) it is going to be a real pain in the arse having to grind back up from $350 at $10NL If anyone has any advice on moving up, please post….

Anyway, here are a few hands from my latest session:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491785

This hand very nearly put me on tilt. Villain was obviously a big calling station, with stats to match. When he cold-called me on the flop, I thought he might already have me beat with 2 pair (ie the kind of ridiculous hand that a calling station would call with preflop. That explains my check on the turn. Again, when the Ace came, I wasn’t going to get carried away as any K would give the villain the str8. My plan was to just check call any reasonable bet. Awful play by villain obv, but I should have bet hard on that turn, or maybe I’m being too results oriented ?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491804

Hmm, I feel so weak in these kinds of situations, particularly since villain was a total LAG who was raising everything.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491830

Same villain as previous hand. No way he has an Ace every time……….

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491839

I don’t often come back over the top in spots like this, but I just felt that the villain was making a move. Seems I was right.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491845

This was vs villain from hand 1, and he had just lost a big pot so I knew he’d call my preflop raise with trash and then be pot-committed. lol @ T4o

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491858

I feel I got maximum value out of this hand, particularly considering villain only had a small pocket pair.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491863

Sweet, set vs set