Making The High Stakes Poker Jump

Every poker player dreams of winning millions of dollars playing poker. Even if you are not in it for the money"', you have still had to think about this more then once. There is a big difference between high stakes poker and low stakes poker. Just because you can dominate low stakes games does not mean that you will be successful playing high stakes poker. That is one thing that you have to understand before you think about making that jump. It doesnt mean that you are not going to do well, but realize that there are differences. The number one thing to realize is the difference in competition. Generally, the higher the stakes the better the players are. You are going to find more aggressive and just plain out tough players in higher stakes games. You have to wonder what they have done to get to that point. Either they are very rich, or they are very good at poker. If you are thinking about moving up to high stakes poker then you are probably pretty good yourself. Nobody is saying you cannot handle it, but if you think the competition is going to stay the same you are making a big mistake.
The Bankroll
You have to think about your bankroll before you even start to get the thought of playing high stakes poker. If you are really going to succeed with higher stakes games you must have a good bankroll. You should have at least 30 max buy-ins when you are playing a specific limit. So if you are going to play in a $3000.00 buy in game you should have a bankroll of $90,000.00. Do not think that just because you have gotten to $3000.00 that you should move up to a game that allows you to buy in for that much. That is the best way to lose all of your money very quickly.
Reconsider
Before you move up to higher limits you might want to reconsider and think about a few things first. If you are doing so well at the limits you are already at then why not stay at them? Just because you go up to higher limits, that doesnt mean you are automatically going to make more money. A better thing to do would be to play multiple games at once. If you are already doing that and you think it is the right thing to do for you, then maybe moving up to higher limits is the way to go. If you are already beating a game and making a lot of money at a specific limit, you should probably stay at that limit. Another thing you could consider is playing a couple of tables at your normal stakes and trying out a couple on the high stakes tables. That is a good way to test out the waters and see how you feel about it. If all goes well, then gradually move up until you are playing nothing but the high stakes. You can look at it a couple of different ways. Either you could be making a big mistake by moving up and lose a lot of your bankroll or you could be missing out on a great opportunity by not taking that chance. At some point you have had to of moved up to get to the limits that you are at right now. If you never would have moved up you wouldnt have gotten where you are today. Making that move to high stakes could completely change your outlook on the game for either the better or the worse.