Poker is always gambling. Good BR management does not ever stop that being the case. Yes it increases your chances of not going bust, ride variance, leverage your skill edge etc but I feel like to deny that fact is a mental leak. Its not gambling like anything roulette. Its more like Sports Betting or Horses as you mention. Your job is to be better than the other punters.
I'm not 'taking a shot' towards anything I just decided to donk around as a rec player at NL25. Its not a winning poker strategy. I have no issues with losing $8 at any limit beyond the fact that if I do I'd be quitting poker. The money means nothing to me but to start being a depositing player is not something I'm prepared to do. I've been playing the same freeroll now for years without going broke. I'm no nearer or farther away from making money at the game. The only reason I would move down would be to draw this game out longer. I'm not going to be at NL50 by the end of this year or whatever, no matter what I do. There is a positive impact of poker in that it stops me spending my evenings doing something more expensive and I think it has helped make some big strides in my mental game in the last few months. I've been putting my energy into that more than learning poker and the change has been really noticable.
So the question of moving to different limits is not one of is it gambling or not, or does it help me on my journey to poker stardom or not. Its purely do I want to carry on with the game or not. I think that I do, on the opportunity cost element of poker, on the continuing little training exercises in mental discipline. I think the underlying fact that made me go rec player is still true. Simply I'm never going to be driven to be good enough to win in modern online poker at any decent limit. One view on that had me play a higher limit on less tables and try and have fun over getting a good winrate, come what may (and what would come would be end of my years of poker). The other option would be just play lowest stakes, try and have fun there.
Trying to get good, and the effort/time and mental resource involved would be a big -EV in overall money earned lifewise, and I think that is true for most anyone. If you can do that, then you can do anything and there are loads of better ways to make a living. Unless you have a massive social anxiety or physical impairment, or possibly historical barrier (like ex-con or total lack of education before you got your shit together) that means you can't deploy your mental focus, speed of thought, math skills, psychology and drive to win in a more lucrative field, then the $3k you won playing NL50 is actually a beat if money is your object. If you are doing it for other reasons as I am and you can win monies then well played you, what a bonus.
I think on balance I get enough enjoyment out of the game that I don't want to go bust though so I will be moving to NL2 or NL5. I'm also going hard for the BR competition in the HH forum. I hope this post doesn't come across as negative or defensive
@MattVIP , as it really isn't and your advice has been very helpful in the journey to this point but where I've ended is not some degen, underrolled going for broke to win the big bucks. I'm chilled, centred, for possibly the first time since I was a child and this has me looking at the game in a different way.
TLDR - Yeah fair point, I'm climbing back down to NL5. Not looking to move up so no BR strategy for the future. I'm going to win the HH competition and that BR I will do something fun. Perhaps leave it up to the forum what I do. Style, game type and stake and make a video series with it. Something to make it more to me than just poker, so there is an experience I can take from it.
Love to all on PokerVIP, you're all awesome in various different ways!