Poker Bankroll Guidelines
The biggest issue that I hear about from everyone on this site is bankroll management or holding onto a bankroll. So I wanted to write up some of my thoughts in that regard and tie it into some various strategies that I propose to people.
Starting off with Short Stack Strategy
Firstly let me say that you should do what you feel comfortable with and play the games and style that will help you win the most. Unfortunately for many of you that path is not clear at this point. So when you start off with your first bullet of $10 I would recommend the minimum buy-in at .01-.02 (which is .40). The reason is simple, with this short of a bankroll I think it is important to get some hands in and see a lot of situations. I doubt there will be a great deal of learning but the more poker hands you see the better. I also think you would be smart to start off at 6 max tables, I suggest this because people do not adjust well at these limits. Just sit back and wait for the hands and go all in. You should also play two tables if you can, that will help you with your patience. Once you double up leave the table.
Here is a guide as good as any I have seen related to short stack strategy (remember the simple rule with SSS is that you should have the best hand when the cards are turned over, if you find that you do not you should re-evaluate).
If you want to play sit and go's use this guide with the same idea.
There are a few schools of thoughts when it comes to buy-ins, amounts of buy-ins is a reason so many players are playing Short Stack Strategy at the moment. Basically they do not have a lot of money and are not in a position to maximize their earning rate.
The 20 buy-in approach
The turn and burn approach is 20 buy-ins, this approach is when you assume you are much better than the levels you are playing and you want to move up quickly. Using short stack strategy that would mean you would need to have $8 to play .01-.02.
Here is a simple guide:
At .02-.04 you will need $16 to consider playing this level. Your next step up is .05-.10 at $40. Which means that .10-.25 needs you to have $100 bankroll. This also means that if you dip below the 20 times mark it is time to move down. I would imagine many people here have dipped their toes in that water with nowhere near that amount only to find themselves on tilt and broke soon after.
For moving through the levels this is the approach I would recommend especially once you have a bankroll of $100 or more because you can move down so easily.
Playing with a Full Stack
There are typically two types of tables online, for our purposes we are going to be concerned with normal stack tables or tables with 100 times the buy-in. Once again using .01-.02 as your guide you will need $2 at each table. So if you take it one step farther you will need $40 to have a sufficient bankroll for .01-.02 if you are going to play full stacked poker. Playing full stacked is something you should be doing when you feel like you are one of the best players at the table. You should be comfortable playing aggressively and taking control of pots. Playing full stacked is unlike SSS in the fact that you do not necessarily need the best hand pre-flop.
Cheat sheet:
.02-.04 means you should have a bankroll of $80 to sit and play the game. $200 for .05-.10 and so on. Likewise to play .25-.50 you need $1000.
These are not suggestions, these are rules to live by if you want to maintain a bankroll. The 20 buy-in approach is very aggressive and really is meant to be used as you are moving up the ladder. There are schools of thought that would suggest 30 buy-ins and while that is the amount most quoted I would suggest that is not far different from the 20 buy-in approach.
The 50 buy-in approach
This approach means that is where you are planning to stay for the rest of your life. While you certainly could blow through that amount you probably would not, you would just step down for a bit (that is why I think poker bankroll requirements are mostly irrelevant). If you settle in at a level with 50 buy-in's that means that you have won most of your money at that level. Once you are over that benchmark you have the option of trying to move up but more likely the best approach is to cash out and take some of that money off of the table.
Tags: poker bankroll Guidelines
5 responses to Poker Bankroll Guidelines
Thursday, December 31, 2009
I agree bankroll management is an important part of poker. This is definitely a good read for new players to learn from
Thursday, December 24, 2009
I have been using the short stack at .5-.10 and .10-.25 with alot of success. I sit with 1 dollar at the first and 5 dollars at the second. I've been averaging 7 out of 10 wins when I go all in and usually triple up or better. Then I get up from the table and do it again. It's worked really well. I will continue untill I build a bankroll up to 1000 or more before I go to full stack poker at 1 and 2 dollar blinds where I like to play. I'll let u guys know how it goes
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Bankroll is the most important part of poker. This is the difference of players going broke or gradually making a profit. Do not underestimate bank roll management.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Nice read on your thoughts on this subject. I agree we hear a lot of this on the forums and in the blogs here. Maybe to much but most are here for several different reasons. One main reason is to improve your play with the help of the community. Another is plainly the fact that some just don't have the personal funds to use for online poker. I'm sure there are several other reasons but that is not my point. The BR players don't want to loose their bankroll as once its gone well they failed at their shot. This over protecting ones bankroll can lead to a whole new bunch of troubles. Thanks for the well thought out article hopefully the new players to follow will take the time to read and follow your advice.
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Monday, January 04, 2010
BRM is the key to success and the big thing about playing with a low amount of buyins is that you HAVE to be able to move down at the same rate as you are moving up... I always see people who post and saying stuff like " OMG I am getting so many bad beats and now I am broke." BRM is your safenet to all the variance of this game we love so much. One key factor is if you have a side income and you have the chance to replenish your bankroll your in a nice spot where you have a 2nd chance if things go bad, BUT if you are one of those guys where depositing isn't an option without BRM you are going nowhere!