[RaiderJoe40]

Up in Lake Tahoe, I always play 3-6 Limit...not a bad game, but I feel that my online play has been better at low limit NL games...So there it is, a sweet little 2-3 NL table with a max $300 buy in, Hell I just cashed in my laundry $$ for an extra $297 of what I would call " FREE " money...Im a pretty cool customer, but just the thought of sitting at this table made my heart pound out of my chest, and I pussed out....

SO, am I a puss?

what should I fear ?

Please

[TechnoGuru]

Just like any other thing you fear (flying, roller coasters, getting married, etc...), you were experiencing the initial adrenalin rush of anticipation. After a few moments it subsides and rational thinking takes over.

You clearly have the skill to play the game at this level, now sit down and play.

Good luck!

[smoore]

Fear of the unknown, all the way.

The more time you spend in scary situations, the less scary they become.

I say march right back to that casino and plunk $100 down in that game. Sure you'll be short but the most you can lose is $100. That should take a lot of the edge off. If you do get stacked, reevaluate and decide whether or not to pull out the other $200 of your mad money.

Who knows, you might double up first hand

[jldecarlo]

First of all, your play is clearly up to the comptetition you will face. The problem is that if you play over you bankroll or your risk tolerance, you tend to go weak-tight and give up on pots you should win. In a NL table, you may well need to reload. If you aren't ready for that, play at limits you are comfortable with.

L

PS Did I mention that you could crush the competition at this level?

[BrakeDust]

What they said!

[SpeakEasy]

Fear of losing your money, all in one shot.
Fear of making a bad play, where others can see your face and you're not hiding behind a computer screen.
Fear of being outplayed.
Fear of being nervous in a hand and making a bad decision due to clouded judgment.

All normal fears. Just give it a try. Based on your CT tournament play, you can hang with the players in this type of game, easy. They're typically not that good. You have to get to the point where you are not playing scared, and are not afraid to lose.

Start tight. Get your money in when you are in the lead. It doesn't matter of you get labeled tight in your first few sessions. Win a few pots. Once you win a BIG live pot, you will get more confortable.

[BlondWidow]

I don't think it's an over reaction at all. It's just something new. I felt the same way when I first approached a NL cash game. I was totally freaked. HQ and I were out in Vegas. Talk about scared! He took me to the Tropicana and they have a $1/3 NL game that has a fairly low max buy in (like $150). He practically had to force me to sit down, but I ended up playing and I did alright. (Probably why I love playing there.) Last trip, we ended up at a few other card rooms, where I was even more intimidated. At MGM, I got myself so worked up that I sat at a $3/6 limit table and lost most of my stack, which had me pretty peeved, because I probably would have done better at the $1/3 NL game. After that when we went to Venetian, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to make the same mistake and I forced myself to play NL there for the minimum buy-in. I made it through that okay too. One of my biggest wins yet, actually.

And like some others mentioned before, the max buy-in is just that. Try getting in for $150-180 and see how you do. That way you're not totally behind starting out, you can afford to see some flops and get away from hands if need be, but you have enough in front of you that you'll be able to bet appropriately too.

It's just one of those things where you have to have some faith in your abilities and reassure yourself, and then... JUMP. Believe me, if I can do it, you can!

[Quads]

The last think you want to do is sit down at a table with a) limited bankroll and b) [chief to all other issues] fearful of busting your nut because you are out of your comfort zone.

Do you want to sit down and perhaps have a little anxiety? Yes, that is perfectly normal and often healthy when getting into a new or different game. Sitting with fear in the game is a lose / lose proposition. Fear and anxiety, two very different things.

If you can bang the $3/6 game and turn some profit, stay there until you are 100% ready, and 100% comfortable in moving up to the next *appropriate* level. Which very well may *not* be a NL game. It could be $4/8, $5/10 or $6/12. It could be a NL game, but it could possibly be a $1/2 NL game with a capped buy in of $100 or $200, where you don't / wouldn't have to absorb pretty much all of your "Laundry Money" to sit in the game and not have a rack or two behind should you take a beat.

Remember the biggest key in NL v. Limit. In NL you can lose it all in one hand. In a $3/6 game your risk is mitigated due to it being a structured betting game, where you loss won't exceed ____ (based on the level in which you are playing) for such hand.

Moving to higher stakes is something everyone should do at some point in time. But in doing so, I'm a firm believer in playing within your bankroll, level of comfort and level of skill. Any table you sit down at you want to be in the top 30 to 25% of the game as far as skill is concerned. And you want to sit down to make a profit. You also need to be able to sit confidently with enough bankroll to support yourself through the possible swings in the game (which you will have).

The game can be very juicy at times. I often sit in it while on the waiting list for the $3/5 NL or $5/10 NL game.

I've been playing there every weekend for the past 2 months.
Do you live in Tahoe? Or down the hill with us other low lifes?

[legend]

Originally Posted by RaiderJoe40

Up in Lake Tahoe, I always play 3-6 Limit...not a bad game, but I feel that my online play has been better at low limit NL games...So there it is, a sweet little 2-3 NL table with a max $300 buy in, Hell I just cashed in my laundry $$ for an extra $297 of what I would call " FREE " money...Im a pretty cool customer, but just the thought of sitting at this table made my heart pound out of my chest, and I pussed out....

SO, am I a puss?

what should I fear ?

Please

you can't win if you don't play....no guts, no glory. it's only money...you can always get more by working.

[RaiderJoe40]

Originally Posted by SpeakEasy

Fear of losing your money, all in one shot.
Fear of making a bad play, where others can see your face and you're not hiding behind a computer screen.
Fear of being outplayed.
Fear of being nervous in a hand and making a bad decision due to clouded judgment.

How about this one speak,

The fear of the 1st time I get reraised I spaz out and backhand my chips
all over the table

thanks for the feedback everyone, and also for your opinion of my game

to be clear, the $$ was like a freeroll as I emptied my coin op machines, not the $$ I needed to do laundry..But even with that fact, I was still scarred clear of the table..I could feel the adrenalin flow through my body...I think you're all correct though, sit in, play tight and try to control all spasms that may litter the casino with my chips is the way to play

thank you again