My biggest hurdle yet?

Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 02 April 2009 / 7

Over the past week or so I have been very excited at the prospect of putting my new found bankroll to good use by moving up in stakes and potentially winning a decent sum of money. However, yesterday my excitement turned to disappointment after a dreadful session at the tables.

Does being able to disassociate yourself from the monetary value of your chips come with time or is it something you never forget, especially if you have had to work hard for anything you own?

I actually played my first session of NL50 on the day of my last blog entry and settled in pretty quickly if I do say so myself. I played just a single table and when I felt comfortable I added a second. Two and a half hours later and I was in profit to the tune of $144 and small change. Ship the dollar to Pud!

But the saying "what goes up must comes down" ran true, more than true! I don't know if I was too over confident but I played a short session of around 300 hands and dropped four buyins, the most I have ever lost at once. Whilst I could deal with the beats, one was the typical KK vs AA and other a set vs a turned flush, it was the money I lost I had problems with.

After deciding to stop play for the day I went through some of my hand histories and noticed I was playing quite weak in some pots, especially ones where there were $50+ in the middle. Now I am aware that $50 doesn't seem like a lot of money but I felt awkward shoving in $50 as I saw it as $50 and not as chips at the table.

Anybody have an idea how to get around this? Does being able to disassociate yourself from the monetary value of your chips come with time or is it something you never forget, especially if you have had to work hard for anything you own? I actually find it quite ironic how I can enter $100 worth of SnG or MTT and not worry about cashing but ask me to shove $50 worth of chips in and I struggle! FFS, just as I thought things were going to turn out good!

I've actually recouped $70 of my losses by playing a mixture of $0.50/$1 and $1/$2 fixed limit, a game where I have succeeded before so my bankroll is almost exactly the same as it was at the end of last month. Maybe I should stick to min-bet poker now I have the roll to play even $2/$4 and grind it out. Who knows, who cares!

I never thought I'd say this but I am really missing playing tournaments! After seeing how badly people play them and having a nice run in March, I wanted to play a whole bunch of them but with Baby Pud being overdue by a week, I've steered clear of tournament poker for the past couple of weeks. On the baby front, we are going to the midwife today for what they call a sweep, which apparently is as horrible as it sounds. Lucky me being a bloke I guess.

So, if any of you have any tips on how to stop thinking of the chips at a cash table as money and not just weapons used to obtain money then I am all ears. I know I have the poker skills to succeed higher than NL50, I just need to sort the mentality and mindset out.

As always, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables!

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Cloudy | 02 April 2009

"but I felt awkward shoving in $50 as I saw it as $50 and not as chips at the table."

You've answered your own question here - you've got to be able to detach yourself from the monetarty value, and see them as units, and make the same play as you would if you were being asked to shove $5.
If you are playing scared, you are probably playing too high, even if bankroll can support it.
Yorkshire Pud | 02 April 2009

Thanks Cloud

This is what I don't get though, why don't I bat an eyelid at £20-£40 in tournaments oreven the same per hand at BlackJack but at the cash tables I struggle to disassociate myself?

I've never had this problem before, only yesterday which is really puzzling me. It really bothered me but maybe I am making something out of nothing!
smoothplz/bigblackdog | 02 April 2009

Back to mtt's after Pud junior arrives imo Pud!!
At least you are only chucking chips into a pot & not actual money......(Well thats how i sort of view it anyway!!)
Good luck with the baby........i remember when my missus was late with our 1st & had the 'sweep'....jeeeeez,it made my eyes water just being in the same room,the poor wife nearly ended up on the ceiling,as you say...its lucky being a bloke sometimes!!! glglgl fella
Acornman | 02 April 2009

Great post Pud.I think it's easier to see an sng/mtt buy in as money spent or invested.You know up front exactly how much it's cost you and you only have tourney chips representing the buy-in instead of a real cash running total being displayed.

In a cash game you've not mentally spent/invested the $50 buy-in because you can see it right in front of your eyes.

As you gain confidence ( and you have the beating of $50 nl so it shouldn't take long)and bank winning sessions at that level it will become easier to deal with the variance.

I still find some nights I can play 30-50 sngs and deal with swings of a few hundred dollars and other nights I'm really down about playing 3 games and not cashing!

Having the right roll for the games you're playing helps too and makes it easier to see it as poker money and not real money.

End of ramble..

Hope all goes well with you and Mrs P on the baby front too mate.

cheers,
Acorn
EvertonYorkie | 02 April 2009

It's the reason I'm terrible at cash as well mate.

MTTs ftw
Doublemeup | 03 April 2009

I agree with Cloudy when he says "If you are playing scared, you are probably playing too high, even if bankroll can support it."

Sounds like you're not confident at playing at $50NL. You should move down IMO. There are some very good players at $50NL, it's where cash games start getting tricky - you're up against players who have moved up after beating $25NL over a large sample.

Good luck mate and hope everything goes well with the birth :)
Yorkshire Pud | 04 April 2009

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I didn't drop down as such, instead I went back and grinded some $1/$2 fixed limit, the game I used to beat years ago, and whilst I edged on the side of nitty, I'm now back even for the month!

Was good to having a decent winning couple of days and make some good calls and laydowns, even if it was min-bet poker!

My biggest hurdle yet?

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