What to do with the winnings?? Withdraw or build??

I took the decision out of my own hands and just withdrew 8k euro straight away. The way I thought about it was that I'd get over it if I left roughly 1.5k dollars in my account and lost that, but I wouldn't be able to get over it if I had done the lot!

Everyone has been there. In theory imagine someone put 1k into your account? In your head you would think that you'd play perfectly with it, eg. only ever commit 5% of your account on a single sitting, drop your stakes if you're not running good etc. But there are always those times where you're in deep before you know it, half your account is suddenly gone over the course of a day and the other half follows it swiftly after!

You wake up the next day in a state of distress as the reality of your account = 0 is dawning on you as is this rage at how you let this demon inside you take control of it and blow it again! I had made up my mind, there was no way in hell I was going let this nightmare become a potential reality. I took the money and ran!

So I cleared my credit card, bought some clothes, over-indulged while on the piss and finally bought myself a car. I had left roughly 1.5k dolls in my account, which over the next three days ended up playing stakes as high 5-10. I withdrew another 1k euro and needless to say I lost the rest.

The following week I lost roughly €500 pretty poorly or unluckily; my streak had ended. So I was delighted with my decision to buy the car! I had to stop playing poker until last Thursday when I got paid again, as I had spent all my winnings. I put €100 on, into 1/2 holdem (after 4 hours of playing I withdrew €400.) Lucky run?

Then yesterday I tried it again. €100 on, straight into 1/2 holdem and ended up cleaning up on one table, leaving it and spreading that money across 1/2 holdem tables and Omaha tables. I was up until 5am and logged out with my account on €2,600!

I was extremely happy with my very hung-over day's work. The difference this time though is I'm not going to withdraw it - maybe a few hundred towards the end of the month if I'm stuck but ill try not to. I'm back to the dilemma again, skill or luck??? I'm going to try stick to 1/2 Hold'em and Omaha and might dabble in 2/4 with min stacks.

I'd be happy if I can keep my account over 2.5k from now on, if I see it dropping to 2k I think ill take the hit and cash out €1800 or something and start all over! Focus Brian, FOCUS!

Following all the Irish lads in Vegas ritually in work.. glglgl

Brian O'Farrell