None of the above. Single, 24

Its women, the kids bring balance and happiness to your poker life. My son can't wait till he is big enough to play. He always says "daddy I'm bigger now". Basically saying hey you told me you, you will teach me when I'm bigger and I'm bigger today haha.

That changes everything.

Agreed, as long as your kid doesn't take money from my kid, it's all good...lol

Not going to teach him until like junior high when he has a better understanding of math. He is only 3. I'm working on my own game right now. Don't have time for elementary schools calling me saying my son is gambling haha.

And kids are the 10% uncapped underground rake at Teddy KGB's place.

Yes, it does change everything and you should

lol, he can always bring a Commerce/Hustler chip for show and tell I guess....

This should be a sticky.

DGI's comments about shot taking are clearly relevant, along with 11t's words of warning. I know you have transitioned from 1/2 to 2/5 over the last few years and that your understanding of poker strategy is comprehensive, as evidenced by your numerous HH posts. But 13K is not really enough to shot take at 5/10, although you probably could at around 20K, so long as you know the players in the game and have an insight into the table dynamic and the required strategic adjustments.

This year I was taking shots at 5/10 and I've been left with some telling bruises. Now my bankroll is more suited to 2/4 than 5/5, although I'm not a full-time player and cover basic living expenses with a part-time job. Part of the problem with my strategy was that I didn't cap the number of BIs for shot-taking; it retrospect it should have been capped at 3 BIs of 2k each.

Keep in mind that I knew the player pool very well (most I had played on 5/5 over a number of years). Irrespective of this knowledge, the game dynamic was significantly different to 5/5, both preflop and postflop (e.g. 3- and 4- betting light; c/raise bluffing of rivers; double-barreling and so on). While I had a theoretical understanding of this kind of play (along with some experience of it on 5/5), being able to apply this understanding with the added financial pressure of having a significant portion of your BR on the table can negatively influence your ability to make solid decisions. And, of course, as soon as other regulars smell that you might be playing "scared" they will attempt to place you under even more pressure.

Anyway, if you have 20K+, sure, take a shot, capped at 2BI. But I would be extra-sensitive to how comfortable you feel with the dynamic and player pool. I would be monitoring for any unusual signs of anxiety, which may cloud your thinking and influence your body-language; also I would be noting any moments on the table in which you cannot easily identify the various betting "lines" taken by the players. If you're surprised by what appears at showdown too often, then I would be getting off the table pretty quick and analysing these unfamiliar strategies. I'm assuming you're lurking on MHFR too.

Re: P4MS. 13k bankroll is more than enough of a poker bankroll for a strong winning player like yourself to risk 2k on playing in a juicy 5/10 lineup. Even if you dropped down to 11k, you would still be properly rolled for 2/5 as long as you have a life roll that covers 6 months of expenses.

In other words, just sit down at a 5/10 game with 2k if the lineup looks good. If you lose that 2k, no big deal.

FWIW, I wouldn't recommend the same advice to other players because P4MS is probably much better than 98% of the LLSNL posters even though he is unlucky to be playing in low-hourly Michigan games.

Lmao, debbie downer tells someone to take a shot with 13k when the guy is quitting his job in 2 months.

I see your type now, you just don't like certain personality types.

Hate lol!

^That makes sense, you always come across as a life nit Atsai...jk

In that case it's really up to you man... you can make a living at 2/5, so I am not opposed to "specializing" at that stake until you are comfortable and can truly feel out the variance. Your roll is currently to small for 5/T and not even enough to be pro at 2/5 so you should really take care of banking 15-20k first.

I would figure out what you need for 2/5, feel out being pro at that stake, and then shot taking 5T. But if you want to be baller and take some risk than go for it man... I wish you luck!

P4MS is a much better player than you. Obviously, the advice that I give him is going to be much different than the advice I would give to you.

FWIW, I could easily start with a 13k roll for 5/5 NL and be well-rolled. Why? Because my 5/5 NL win-rate is much higher than that of 96% of winning regs at those stakes.

Believe it or not, win-rate is truly the biggest determinant of bankroll management and whether or not one has an adequate roll.

I beat 2/5 for 3 years. He beat 2/5 for not even a year. Don't talk bs you know nothing about.

I didn't play poker for 3 months, played on a tv show and made like 3 mistakes. One being the 1 chip rule since I don't play multiple chip games. Shows how tough of a player I am.

ILCD, I can tell just from his forum postings that he is a certain caliber of player. You are not on the same level as him. Period. Don't shoot the messenger for bringing the bad news.

You have your opinion of what you call a tough player. Its just funny how you could tell how someone plays from forum post.

Hilarious!

TV

Leave it up to the asian to suggest gambling!

Haha

In all seriousness, ATsai's advice isn't bad, but I'm a br nit and err on the side of caution and I would focus on playing as well as you can at 2/5. You are planning on going pro so act like a pro. If you were keeping your job then shot take all you want.

sometimes the best decision is delaying gratification, which is what I'd suggest.

Pay4mySchool---

Advice is irreverent about bankroll needed, shot taking, blah, blah, ect... Do what feels good at the moment.

Best thing to do is play in the biggest game you can afford to play in, most comfortable, and not tilt if you lose. Heck people are going to flame on me for this tip but go sit at a 5-10 nl table if its open seating play a free orbit and post the $15.00, and see the next free round until the bb if its 9 handed thats 16 hands for $15.00. Take a walk, smoke, whatever, and think about the players and the game its self. If it looks like you can win money sit and play, if you can learn something by just posting/folding/watching stay, if your not comfortable reevaluate the situation and try again another day.

Or...

Use a winning days profits to take a shot twice a month i.e. you win 800 @ 1-2 go play 2-5 with 1k until you bust or turn that into 2-3k, take that 2-3k play 5-10 until you bust or turn that into 10-20k.

You will miss 100 % of shots you don't take!!!