I have been playing online poker for a couple of years. The vast majority of that play has been at 25NL and 50NL with a smaller amount at 100NL and 200NL.

After starting as a limit players I went from 1 table to 4 tables. I then switched to 25NL and went from 1 table to 4 tables. In my first 6 months I have had a 2-3 month period when I was playing break even poker. In retrospect it was tilt but at the time I didn't see it. I had another 3 month period of tilt where I played break even poker that ended earlier this year. I also blew the bankroll I had accumulated (about 6 grand) late last year and ealier this year away from the tables.

When I switched to the 50's from the 25's I did so with ease. My first attempt at moving up to the 100's was unsuccessful and I moved back down. I moved back up to the 200's (skipping the 100's) and played with a short stack because I had a small bankroll. I was able to beat the games but was not comfortable with my bankroll and moved back down.

I am presently playing mostly 50's and occasionally a 25 table and winning at a very healthy rate. I am also data mining games from 200 up to 2000. I hope the same players are still there if I ever get that high lol. Something I have learned about myself is that I don't feel comfortable without a bankroll that is significantly larger than is recommended for a particular level. I like to have 50-100 buy ins. Less than that and when I loose a buy in or so my play is adversely affected.

I created a new data base when I dropped from the 200's to the 50's a little more than a month ago.

I play 4 tables on a laptop with significant overlap.
17,700 hands 16.67 PTBB/100 or 33+ BB/100 lol
46+ BB/hr which works out to over $20/hr. for the past 93 hours.

So I'm tearing up the small stakes. I like my hourly rate at this point. My current bankroll is around 4 grand.

My first few months of no limit play- I think my win rate was around 4 PTBB/100 at the 25's I think. So to any struggling players out there it is certainly possible to improve. I don't intend to make lots of entries in this journal but will post periodically to let people know where I am at.

I played 5 tables for the first time today. I play on a laptop with regular resolution so I see:

1 full table
1/2 of the second table
A 2" strip of the bottom of a third table
A 2" strip of 1/2 of the bottom of a 4th table
And a 1/2" strip of the side of the 5th table.

I also played a mix of the 100's and 50's. I did time out about 1/2 dozen times over the course of a several hour session, I ususally don't time out at all. It wasn't really more difficult than playing 4 tables and I still got frustrated when the tables were not moving fast enough, leaving me with waiting time. I should easily be able to play 8 tables on 2 montiors with the good resolution when I buy a new system some time in the future.

I'm still making stupid plays too.

For the past couple weeks I've been playing 1 and 2 tables of the 100's, 200's, and 400's, when I can find good games. If not I"m playing 4 tables of the smaller games. I've had a rough couple weeks, getting outdrawn/out flopped left and right. I've been better at controlling my reactions which is good.

I've also felt more comfortable playing the 200's and 400's and am not sure if it is because I"m focusing more because I"m playing less tables or if it's because I am able to get a better read on my opponents as more of them are playing logically. Time will tell.

I"ve built my roll up to over 5 grand again and have no plans to deplete it unless my computer dies and I need to buy a new system.

I joined a new site this week. I've been playing 1-3 tables of $50 no limit. Playing fewer tables is really impacting my growth as a player. Initially I was frustrated due to the reduced action since I was playing so few hands. Then I started to pay more attention to the game, getting a better feel for table conditions, player tendencies, and modifying my game based on factors such as those.

I used to have a wayyy tight preflop game ~ 12.5 VP$P

I haven't been using PT at the new site but my VP$P must be twice that or more now. I've found that I'm quite comfortable playing a wide range of hands preflop and am doing so profitably as well.

I've had good control over tables at various times, maneuvering opponents into giving me free cards out of position, winning with second best hands, etc.

I'm up 8 buy-ins for the week witch is really good for me. I feel that my game is evolving now in a way that will make me a more formitable opponent at the 100's, 200's and 400's. I'm wayy over bankrolled for the $50's with about 150 buy ins lol. I've also got a new name at the new site that I like a lot.

What about just taking 3 or 4 FULL buyins and expieriment. Just go out and play ur regular game. No short buy in, no double up. Just play. Even write the buyins off. That way u can play ur regular game and if u lose, u lose. Cause I get the feeling u are a very good player (from ur posts). I would hate to see u doing less than optimal cause of ur fear for larger amounts.

I was very scared when i moved to $50NL (i know it not the same as $400NL). But i had 4 buy ins put aside. It was my buffer, if i lost them oh well. But i was determined. If the players at this higher level are gooing to beat me. They are going to have to beat my A game. Not my shortstacked and scared game.

Well i hope this helps. I know i am not at ur game level. But i think it applies still in theory. Go out there man with 3 buyins or so and make them beat ur A game!

Wow. What a session. I played at 2/5 with between 2-400. First 1 table at a time and then 2 tables. I was really amped up with anxiety. Having $300 hang on the turn of a card, the suspense, is quite anxiety provoking for me. I played 1 hand like an idiot and lost a couple hundred but wound up getting that back and finishing the session up $200 after I'd say less than 2 hours of play. It feels pretty good and i am still winding down an hour later. Of course it felt pretty lousy after loosing the first 200 lol.

I"m pretty excited about this weekend when the games are better. To all you newer players: Study study study. It is really paying off for me now and I know there is way more to learn. There are lots of players on this board that know way more than me and on other boards too. I"m really glad that I like to learn, that I enjoy the process and the challenge. Also, mind your bankroll. I had over 5 grand built up a year or so ago and blew it all away from the tables. Building it back up hindered me from moving up in stakes sooner.

Poker is a really complex and challenging game. I hope I can really improve a lot on the math/odds side of things. Like calculations of my pot equity against villians hand range and throw in fold equity and make an EV decision... stuff like that.