Spin off from something TP and Brian talked about in another thread

[bdawg31]

Yep. I have recently 'started over' and i am back to grinding bdawg-old-school. I notice that when i am at the lower levels - well within my bankroll - i can shrug off the two outers. I can get down 20-30 big bets and not be all that phased by it and still remain emotionally neutral.

When i move up too quickly - then i get flustered. People often talk about that 300 BB rule, and that is a nice guide, but i also think you need to find your 'emotional' point as well. Maybe that is 300 BB. Maybe 500 BB. I am finding that it fluctuates for me as i move up. For example, while i am grinding out 1/2 i can emotionally withstand a loss of 50 big bets a lot easier than if i am playing 5/10 - even if my bankroll is exponentially equivalent. Does that make sense? So, i think i might need 300 BB for 1/2 and feel fine with the fluctuations - but i think i might need like 400 or 500 BB for 5/10. That does not sound logical i guess, but emotion is a part of the game in my opinion and needs to be taken into account.

I am rambling - but i am on a roll....

I find the 'grind' of grinding can get to me as well. If i get to restless (i call it 'punchy') - i find that i try to push too much or get to clever. So, i need to mix it up. I take breaks from grinding LHE by either changing games or playing sit n goes or low-buy-in MTTs. I have found that the switching of games has been a beneficial thing. Say if you feel comfortable playing 2/4 LHE. When you are ready for a break from grinding - try some .50/1 Omaha. Or some low buy-in stud. I am glad i have done this. The low-level games are pretty soft in all games, and i think you will find that you can turn a profit in these games as well.