So I have always had this issue and it has always cost me my bankroll, eventually, and that is chasing losses by moving up in stakes. It's a terrible way to try to get even I know this, but it's something I have not been able to control since I started playing for money well over a decade ago.

I think I have an obsession of seeing my bankroll continuously grow and when I hit a bump in the road such as losing 2 or 3 buyins at a cash game that urge to get back to even is so strong. I do suffer from mild ocd so it might have something to do with it but i'm not exactly sure. Currently I have a sizable bankroll (well over half way to 10k) that i'd like to hold on to.

It's funny when it comes to money I have in real life that I use for bills or groceries I don't have the slightest urge to get that money back, but when it comes to my poker bankroll I do. It's worth noting that I used to play slot machines, I don't anymore but when I did I often had a hard time stopping if I was down money. I would often play until I either got all my money back or I lost everything I had in my wallet.

I'm just wondering if i'm a lost cause or is this something I can fix? I'm an intelligent guy and I know the game of poker well, but this is far and wide the biggest leak in my game that needs to be fixed. I've been taking poker a lot more serious this year and my game has reflected that however my old demon of not being able to accept losing sessions continues to creep it's ugly head.

Since you've had this problem for over a decade and haven't been able to resolve it, I'd say it's time to quit gambling. No amount of poker skill will fix this if you can't manage your bankroll - that's like being a great golfer but unable to putt. It doesn't mean you're unintelligent or a loser - it just means that you can't handle this element of poker, and your overall talents are best applied elsewhere.

As an intelligent person, I'm sure you've read all the common books/articles etc regarding tilt and they haven't worked our for you. That means it's probably more of an emotion problem that people just don't understand how to treat properly yet. You could go to therapy, but is it really worth all that time and money just to try and be able to make some money playing a card game?

I had a similar problem back in the day when I was playing mostly online.
The numbers are small but the point is, I'd work up a small deposit, usually around 50 bucks, to around 400 to 500 hundred and, funny thing is, always around that point, hit a snag and not be able to make more money for a while.
I'd get frustrated, and maybe this is a key word, because I probably started feeling entitled.
You see, before this started happening, I was making 1k and withdrawing for private use. S big mistake in hindsight.
I didn't turn to playing bad poker to though, I started playing blackjack on the same sites, thinking I had some advantage.
Bad idea, I'd lose it all and have to start over, repeatedly.
Since then, I've been playing exclusively 1/2 live and don't seem to have this problem.
As a matter of fact, you couldn't find a guy who doesn't care of losing a bit, like me.
What changed?
I now realize, poker is a continuous session.
I have enough poker talent to at least play brake even for the rest of my life.
I don't depend on the money I make or lose.
I don't feel that I'm so much better than anybody else at the table to feel entitled.
Again, I don't care if I lose a hand or a big pot even, because I know I'll eventually win that money back.
Subsequently, I have absolutely no remorse about taking all of an opponents stack and find it pretty amusing when I see people get upset after losing money at the poker table.
I hope this was of some help.
It's all about the right frame of mind.