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

[Aequitas58]

Example != Exhibit.

Enjoy,

[Zybomb]

IT really depends what you're asking.

Does winning more than you lost make you a good player? Not necessarily. IT does however make you a winning player

If I start out with $500, playing at the $1/$2 NL tables (way underbankrolled), get up to $2500 then move to the $2/$4 Tables (again underbankrolled) eventually move up to $10/$20 with a $200k bankroll (correctly bankrolled) then have a cold streak and blow $195k, I'm still up from poker and thus I am still a winning player.

Now I realize I lost 195,000 dollars (I realize some may not take it that way bc it was money they won not money they earned, so it feels less real, but regardless I did lose 195k), but I started with $500, and I now have $5000, thus I am up $4500 from poker and am a winning player. It would be absurd to say I am down almost 195k, because I lost that here, and I started with 500, if you count the losses you have to count the wins also obviously.... your net total is your poker success.

Like TP said, Gold won 12 Mill... does that make him the best player there is? No. Im sure he's a good one though, and it certaintly makes him a winning poker player.

If youre asking how good am I, it's decisions not results

If youre asking how successful am I, just look at the numbers... they dont lie.

[Talking Poker]

Really? Aren't lawyers supposed to pay attention to detail?

[Talking Poker]

I agree with all of this, with the exception of the bolded part. I've earned every single dolloar I've won playing poker. Maybe that's the difference in how the people who think of it as house money look at it compared to how I look at it. They feel like they got lucky and won the lottery, where as I feel like I worked for and earned the money.

[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.