Surviving the Windfall

[Fonzi]

It is said that instant success is more of a curse than a blessing. Without growing pains, without experiencing the grind, a poker player might expect the game to be easier than it actually is.

I've lost count of the number of times that I've read about a lucky amateur winning a major event, or cashing very high in an online event, only to lose everything that they've won weeks later. There's a lot of talk about 'streaks' and whether or not the player was 'just lucky'. The reality is usually not so black and white. As someone who experienced early success in the world of online poker, only to be brought back to earth later on, I can comment on this phenomenon.

In order to adjust to a sudden, large boost to your bankroll, you will need to take things slowly. Rather than calculate your limits based on an inflated bankroll, it's much better to remember the level that you were playing at prior to your big win. Ignore the extra cash for the moment. You need to test yourself.

If you can win consistently for a few weeks of regular play, try to move up to the next set of limits. Now you're in new territory. Once again, ignoring bankroll, track your results at this new limit. Take a couple of months to figure out if you really belong there. If you're still making significant progress, you can move up yet another level, as long as you stick to normal bankroll protocol.

The key here is caution. To be frank, the worst person to judge whether or not your big win was luck or skill is yourself. So use impartial criteria to rate your true level of play: Things like BB/hr and tournament cash percentages. Keep careful records. Use some of your win to invest in poker tracking software, if you're an online player. Take a page from Gus Hanson's book and invest in a tapeless audio recorder for use in live play; it is a great way to organize your thoughts. If you find yourself bleeding money, don't hesitate to drop back down a level to see if that fixes the problem.

What you will probably find is that your skill level doesn't measure up to your new bankroll. In other words, you got lucky with your big win, though not incredibly lucky. That's OK. By ignoring your rather large bankroll, dropping down in levels, and slowly working your way upwards, you have a pressure-free way of improving your game! You'll also have some spare cash to pick up a couple of poker books or instructional DVD's to plug any leaks in your game.

The most important thing: Don't turn your blessing into a curse. Jumping up in limits too quickly is a sure way to lose everything that you've gained, and more. Succumbing to pressures from friends to take on bigger and bigger risks is another sure way to torpedo yourself. Finally, don't rest on your laurels. You still have a lot to prove, and you have plenty of time and money to prove it to yourself and to the world!

by Bill Ricardi ? Internet Gaming Guru