I hope this does not sound to much of a crying post, because it is not intended to be one. (Well, at least not in the first place )

I just ask myselfe, if what I am experiencing is normal (variance) or I if I just have not the ability to climb up the ladder any further. I have started out grinding my way up from 2NL over 5NL to 10NL at PS more or less without any major problems.

Now moving up to 25NL just kills me. I don't know why. When I gave it a first shot, I made some pretty fast 4 BIs plus, but crushed down pretty fast, so I had to build up again at 10NL a bit (not just pure BR, but also some confidence), which was done pretty fast. Now the second shot I am pretty much the same. Did not make that much profit, but get smoked everywhere I go. Up 3BIs, now nearly back down to break even.

Can this be normal? I am totaly insecure on my own abilities. I mean. 25NL should not be that much harder than 10NL, should it or at least one should be able to keep oneselfe alive.

Who had similar problems and maybe overcome them? Maybe I just don't see the real problem at all.

I know that variance can hurt pretty hard and I am pretty sure some of my losses are dues to beats of this kind (like rivered quads over my FH and thelike), as well as that 5-7Bis swings are pretty notmal to most people, but it still botheres me is there any major differnece I just did not notice, where I might lose money compared to 10NL.

I hope this makes any sense to you at all and will not be seen as another (pure) "someone not getting used to variance"-post

And here goes a hand from todays session:

VIllain was something like 30/0/3 but over just 15 hands or so.

Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked

UTG: $25.00
UTG+1: $5.00
Hero (MP1): $24.15
MP2: $7.55
CO: $43.50
BTN: $12.20
SB: $23.85
BB: $23.85

Pre Flop: Hero is MP1 with Q Q
2 folds, Hero raises to $1, 4 folds, BB calls $0.75

Flop: ($2.10) J T K (2 players)
BB bets $2, Hero raises to $6, BB calls $4

Turn: ($14.10) K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($14.10) 6 (2 players)
BB bets $3, Hero calls $3

What do you say? Standard? Bad raise? Bad call? Completly ****ed up?

25NL is certainley harder than 10NL so don't worry that you are not crushing it yet. To be honest some people say 50NL and 100NL etc. are easier than grinding out 10/25NL so if you have a bad downswing in 25NL why not go back to 10NL and play a table of both side by side to see the differences and what parts of your game you need to improve/work on?

btw what were the results of the hand

how many hands have you played at 25NL approx ?

25nl is not harder its just more money so psychologically we think its harder.

i just moved up to 25nl and took several brutal beats right out of the gate but things prompty turned around. sure it feels like your going to lose your whole roll when the beats are happening, but if you're a great player just stick with it and things will turn around in short order.

I am not sure, if playing both limits at the same time will work out for me, but I will put up some 10NL in the next sessions and if it's just to brush up my ego a bit. But trying to mix a table 25NL into it may be not the badest idea I guess.

I was beaten by KT.

Do not have the numbers at hand here, but must be around 25-30k.

That may very well be the case for too, of course. I remember the same effect when moving up from 2NL or 5NL. Still the play seems to be somewhat more different from 10NL than 10NL was from 5NL.

I am not sure if I am or ever become a great player, but at least it should be enough to at least hit 50NL some time in the near future. Thinking back a bit and being honest to myselfe, it is not that much different from my other limit changes. It just hurts more at the moment.

The main thing with moving up is you have to be comfortable and don't play scared money.