Playing the ranks

I've decided to take a new approach to my online cash game. I'm so
frustrated with playing online that I almost want to quit. I hate playing
the low stakes because you just cannot stop the suckouts. With 9 donkeys
at the table, one of the is bound to suck out on you almost every hand you
are in.

The large stakes are my own problem. I love playing the higher stakes
(1/2, 2/5, 5/10 NL). I love playing all the games (Holdem, Omaha, Omaha8).
The thing I don't like is playing online. I'm a people player. I can't
play correctly unless I am sitting at a table with someone. I need to read
their every gesture. So playing online for me is a handicap.

My real problem is, I don't live close to any big action games. So in
order to keep playing, I need to play online. I think I've found a way to
get my online play, and play every level available.

What I've decided to do is start my online session at $5, playing
0.05/0.10 NL. This is the smallest limit for the poker room I play
(FullTilt). This is %50 of the max buy-in. The next level up is 0.10/0.25,
which has a max of $25 buy-in. I play the $5 till I make it into $12.50,
which is half the max buy-in for the next level up. Then I move to that
next level, my whole $12.50.

I keep this going (0.05-0.10 -> 0.10-0.25 -> 0.25-0.50, etc.) till I get
to my intended "win". I've set this tentatively to $200 (which would be
double up at the 1-2 NL table).

This has a lot of advantages. For one, I get to play against all sorts of
people. From the fish at the 0.05-0.10, to the decent players at the 1-2.
I only risk $5 at a time. If I bust out, I start back at the bottom. The
style has sort of a tournament feel to it. Moving up to higher stakes as
your stack increases is similar to blinds getting higher, except that you
only move up when you have enough (certainly tournaments would be a lot
easier if they went this way :).

Another thing I like about this is I avoid the big stack fish syndrome. I
find it hard after I build up a nice stack (like $400-$500 on a 1-2 NL
table) to keep from chasing weak draws, or chasing without any odds (heads
up, chasing a non-nut flush draw by calling pot sized bets).

By moving up when you double up, you always have a mediocre stack. Buying
in with half the max is just good enough to keep you from being pushed
around, but not so good that you are willing to pay too much for crappy
hands. By leaving when you've pretty much reach the max buy-in, you avoid
"I've got enough extra money to play this hand"'itis.

The one thing this whole plan doesn't avoid is suckouts. If you get all
your chips in pre-flop with AA, and the guy has KK and hits a set, you're
pretty much done and starting over. But atleast you only lost $5 :)

I've only tried this once, and actually didn't make it to the second
level, but I have high hopes, and I think I can see my online bankroll
dwindle just a bit less this way.