burkey55 said:
If you're trying to make money off of poker, you'll have to be able to beat the higher games, and have a bankroll capable of handling the swings of those games. If this is a serious objective, you should be willing to invest the time and money needed to achieve it. There is no reason you can't play the games you are bankrolled for, and deposit a little money each month to help accelerate your ability to play in higher games.
At the micros, you should have at least 20-30 buy-ins for the level you're playing at. And, if you lose money, you need to step down to the next lower level until you're back at the bankroll for the higher games. 2NL is a special case, as any money you have below $100 (the bankroll for 5NL) is enough for 2NL because you can't move down. If you have $8, you're bankrolled for 2NL. But, you have a long way to go before reaching the $100 for the next level up. As you get above 50NL, you'll want to have 40-60 buy-ins for the level. With $25, you're limited to 2NL. If you put $25 in every two weeks, and slowly keep winning, you'll eventually get over $100 online and can move to 5NL.
It is important to actually play though, because being able to beat the micros will provide you with the fundamentals required as you move up. And, winning will also accelerate your bankroll growth. Don't think of it as money, it's your bankroll. Think about how many BB you need to earn to get to the next level. Winning $2.30 isn't winning less than the cost of a beer, it's winning 115 BB towards moving to the next level. You're closing the gap. It looks like you have 3,675 BB until 5NL, so start chipping away at that number. Throwing some more money onto the site will cut that down very fast, but every little bit counts. Also, as you get above the mircos, you will not be able/want to add enough money to move up. You'll want to earn enough to move up only from your play.
Study the game and learn to play better. You'll make mistakes, it's better to make them when you're playing the micros. You'll save a lot of money.
This statement and its lack of detail scares me. How are you tracking your results? How are you analyzing your play and learning from it, so you can improve? Do you have PT4 or HEM? If not, you need to invest in one of these tools. Consider it one of the costs of making money off poker. Even if you don't use the HUD (which is beneficial), the record keeping and the ability to review/analyze your play is essential. It will keep you honest about your results, and it will allow you to find and correct leaks.
