Time To Move Up

I have promised myself for a while that I would take my next shot at 1/2 NL at DoylesRoom when I cleared my bonus. Well, I hit 55k in Action Points yesterday, which clears the way for my $550 sign up bonus. Or so I thought. The bonus money did not come automatically, so I chatted support today. It turns out you need 200pts/1$ to clear the "super bonus" that I signed up for. The other smaller bonuses require 100pts/1$ and I would have cleared that weeks ago. It would have been nice if the bonus rules were published anywhere, but like the Tournament rules Doyle evidently likes to keep things close to the vest. If you read this Doyle, please stop hiding this valuable information. It sucks for your customers.

Anyway, I can't wait to clear the bonus anymore if it is going to take 110,000 Action Points. Its time to move up. This is my plan.

1) Start off slow
Only play one or two tables at a time, with the others .50/1

2) Buy-in light
I know your thinking WTF, I think I will stop reading this BS right now, but hear me out. I have been killed in the past at this level with some huge losses on big hands. I want to be able to be aggressive, yet not have to throw $200 around everytime I am played back at. I got pushed around a little last week in Vegas when I was not willing to pull the trigger for a full $200 on a borderline call. I plan on buying in for $120. This will keep me above the psychological $100 level while I am waiting for my first win, plus you can still win a pretty big pot. When I build my stack up I can get used to playing with a bigger stack, and the whole time I will be getting used to the higher limits. BTW, I always buy-in for the full amount at .50/1, and plan on doing the same at 1/2 shortly.

3) Play only at DoylesRoom
I have been crushed on Fulltilt and PokerStars at this level. I need to build up my confidence at DoylesRoom before bringing my game to the other sites. Also the competition is way weaker at DoylesRoom.

4) Use good table selection
If I am going to buy-in light, I do not want to be at a table of all big stacks. DoylesRoom does not provide table stats, so I will need to carefully select the looser tables with lots of short stacks.

5) Stay positive
Book some wins and hang in there. This move is inevitable and you can do this. Don't let the natural variance bother you.