Bankroll Basics Issue 4

Well, we all know how to play poker. If you don't, go learn and come back and read this post. So you can make money but you can't hold on to it. If you are like me when I started you are over extending your bankroll. Well, here I will guide you through how to play within your means and never go broke. First is determining how much you want to play with. This can be determined by how much you win. Are you comfortable with 100,200, or 1,000 dollars? Once you have determined your starting bankroll the next step is determining what game you can play in.

Most players use the 300 big bet rule. Meaning, that whatever the limit you must have 300 big bets in your bankroll. (Example: If you want to play 5-10 limit you must have 3,000 in your bankroll. If you want to play 1-2 limit then 600 dollars in your BR.)

No-Limit is a bit different. Most tables have a max buy-in of 100 times the big blind. And your BR should normally be about 20 times the max buy-in. (Example: If you want to play 1-2 no-limit the max buy is 200 so 20 times that= 4,000.) These are very conservative numbers and you can adjust them as you see fit. But remember you never want to play outside your bankroll or you might just lose it all in an instant.

Here this is my guide that I follow based on my skill level and Exp:

Limit	Bankroll		No-limit	Buy-in	Bankroll
.25-.50	150		.1-.5	10	200
.5-1	300		.25-.5	50	500
1-2	600		.5-1	100	1000
2-4	1200		1-2	200	4000
3-6	1800		2-4	400	8000
5-10	3000		5-10	1000	10000
10-20	6000		10-20	2000	16000
15-30	9000		25-50	5000	50000

Note: Some players like to have 10 buy-ins some like 20 buy-ins. It depends on your risk level and skill level.

Next: So you have the money together to start off playing a certain limit and you want to build it so you can play in bigger games and bigger games and then quit your job and be on ESPN right? Well, face it, its not going to happen that easy. You will wins some and lose some and hopefully if you follow my guides you will win more and lose less. The next step is to start playing within your BR. The most common used rule is the 5-10% rule. Meaning, never sit down at a table with more than 5% of your bankroll. Example: if you have 600 dollars and plan to play 1-2 limit never take more than 30 dollars to the table with you. Second if at any time you double you initial buy and have 10% of your BR at the table, leave! So if you are sitting there with your 30 dollars and get involved with a big hand and rake 60 bucks back to you. You now have 10% of you bankroll in front of you. Get up and move tables and sit back down with 30 again. This helps you to increase your BR and never risk too much of it. This is how you build a bankroll. Eventually you will increase the size of your bankroll and be able to move up in limits.

Next: Say you lose. Never lose more than 40% of your bankroll in a given day. If you just cant win that day and lose a lot. Quit playing when you lose 25% of your bankroll. Move down in Limits to say .5-1 games and try and rebuild. If you lose some more, move down in limits again to .25-.5 game. This strategy will prevent you from going broke. If you are a decent player and play by the odds and play a good game you will get your bankroll back. When losing be aware of the size of you bankroll land play with in it. Use the chart so help you determine what game you can play now that you lost 40% of your BR.