Funny session last night and some thoughts.

I played 2 separate sessions last night, for a total of ~800 hands I think, and I made a dollar. It's funny how that works. I am actually kind of proud of the session, as I still struggle with the notion that it's ok to show up, play great poker (which I didn't do last night btw), and break even. I guess it goes against my competitive nature in some way. I show up to win. When I get to the table, I am excited, and I am there to play. But it doesn't work that way in poker. Often times passiveness is rewarded more than being active. I need to re-read Zen and the Art of Poker again, the author hammers these points home almost too much.

Another thing that I was reminded of by Jason is the notion of taking shots. I have heard this recommended by some big time pros like Brian Townsend and others. When I first read the Ferguson rules, I was planning on amending them by saying I could take maybe 10% of my roll at any time and try for the next level up or something like that. But I haven't really done that at all. I think that I will start though, but in certain situations only. Namely, I will only attempt a shot at the level immediately above the one I am properly rolled for. Also, I will only attempt a shot when I am approaching the level as far as bankroll goes. I played at the .25-.50 for 111 hands last night, and initially found the play to be about the same as at the level I am current playing. I will give it a few more shots, but once I lose a buy in there, I won't take another shot until I have built back up.

Any thoughts/advice regarding these topics?