Well, (hopefully without saying anything that ice wouldn't want me to say): A little over a year ago it was very much in the purely "normal" range for all of us.

Difference is very simple: ice stuck with a good thing pretty ruthlessly, moving up in limits with moderate aggression but very reasonably. And he didn't start experimenting around with a bunch of b.s. like I did...

I don't know exactly what modifications he's made in the meantime, but my impression is that the vast majority of profitable players at the higher NL games have exactly one cardinal virtue: Play EVERY hand right! (especially including correct laydowns)

Aisthesis and I had a discussion a while back when I first hit my target of $10K. It was probably about 8 months ago. I told him that it would be cool to be able to take out a portion of my winnings each month and have an extra $800 or so to spend each month.

I live quite a ways below my means (without poker money) and Im pretty frugal by nature. When we had that discussion, I never dreamed I would have $2k, $3k, $4k or more each month available from poker.

So when I say my roll is $40k, that includes the "spendable" money that is sitting in my poker bank account that I just havent gotten around to spending yet.

My actual poker roll that is at poker sites is about $14K, which is still plenty enough to play $600NL or even $1000NL with my playing style.

Unlike Droqqa, I dont need the rush of higher stakes to fuel me. And I dont have any desire to call myself a "high stakes" player either. I play $5/$10 now and then. I played some today as a matter of fact.

I probably hate losing more than anyone else I know and even though $1000 is a small amount in comparison to my bankroll, to me its still $1000. I dont like losing $1000.

When I play $1000NL, I dont back down because of the stakes and I dont play scared, but just the same, I REALLY dont want to lose that much, and I dont need to win that much either so I just dont play that high very often.

I may change this approach sometime soon though. I think I play as well or better than 75% of the guys playing the $5/$10 tables so I think I should probably be playing there full time and thinking of a $500 loss as a 1/2 buy in loss instead of $500.

I played great today (meaning I dont think I made a single mistake), but I got outdrawn several times and then I ran into 4 sets in 30 mins, then I lost my connection which cost me about $100 when my hand folded automatically when I didnt respond, so I lost about $225 for the day.

Playing $5/$10, I wouldve been down over $1000. Thats nothing as compared to my roll, but I still get bothered by losing $225. I think about it for several hours when I lose that much.

My disclipline definately helped me get to where I am now, but it also could be holding me back now. Or maybe Im just a wuss.

This post got WAY of topic, but continueing on that theme... Its very interesting to most of the Lower LVL rookie players like myself to see the path to success taken by the more experienced players like Ice and others. I personally started playing poker for its income potential and its good to see what can be achieved through persistence/experience and patients.