Lately when I've been playing, and I get up quite a bit (1.5x the buy in at $100 table)
I feel like I go on reverse tilt or something. I forget how I've built my stack during the session and start being too tight and way too passive. I don't know if it's because I'm satisfied with what I've won, which is something I never want to be. Or if it's because I don't want to lose what I've won back to the room. Uusally I'm pretty tight anyways. I prie myself on playing winning hands and making opening raises and re-raises. Only in the right scenarios of course. But I just forget it all once I've tasted some success. I know this is limiting how much I can win in a session. Has anyone ever had this occur in their early stages of playing...Or does anyone have any thoughts?

-Andrew

While I've never experienced that particular phenomena myself, I've seen it in others. You might consider cashing out and starting again a bit later. It's not a solution but perhaps time will be your solution. There's a saying in NL...

If you begin to think of the chips in front of you as money, to buy anything other than a pot; let them buy you a bus ticket home.

TUP

It might have to do with the fact that you are afraid to put all the money that you have on the table into play. For example, when you have $100 at the table you know that all you can lose is $100. When you build it up to $250, suddenly the thought of losing $250 makes you play so tight-passive. Maybe you aren't ready to play at the $100NL level yet, not because you don't have the skill for it but because you aren't psychologically ready. That's the only reason I can think of.

I think it has to do with the amount you are comfotable with at the table. For me, once I get over 4/500 in front of me in the casino live game I start to get a bit scared of losing it back. I am working on staying in the game when I am winning because it is the only way to make one of those huge scores you always see the other guy getting. The more you have on the table the more you are risking in any pot you play but I think you need to be able to push your edges when you have chips in front of you.

YD

You should use this time to get comfortable with making bets to pick up unwanted pots, it can't hurt you to lose a few of these, and you will probably get 3:1 or so on your attempts for at least break even play. You should becarefully cultivating your reads to make playing the man a tactic that is used more as a larger stack, as well as using position to your advantage. You have already shown them hand after hand your credibility will be there unless you built your stack playing like a jackass. The risk you incur in unraised pots to the % of chips in your stack even in a cash game gives you more equity on draws, as you will be able to push hard to gain more when you do hit, and it not sting when you miss. Play with confidence, and don't worry about losing a small chunk, make them worry about losing what is a big chunk in a maximum buy in game.

At really small stakes I am pushing only when I have the goods, there isn't enough money on the table to worry about other times. The $50 and $100 games there is enough to make a difference and getting tight passive will not drag in a big score. Pick your spots to buy a pot or two when little interest has been shown, shut it down if a tight passive player calls, and hammer hard with the best of it, don't be afraid to take a draw that will bust someone for reasonable amounts of money. Fully play your implied odds, you have the opportunity to do so with out very much penalty.