Poker Bankroll
Poker
Bankroll
Aside
from learning that a flush beats a straight, the most
important element of being a successful poker player
is money management. Aside from learning that a flush
beats a straight, the most important element of being
a successful poker player is money management (that is
not a typo, it is really so important I wrote it
twice.)
The
first step to solid money management is establishing a
poker bankroll. Your poker bankroll is not the amount
of money you sit down with at the table. You should
never be risking your entire poker bankroll at any one
poker session. Your poker bankroll is the entire
amount of money you have set aside for playing poker
over an extended period of time.
Setting Your
Poker Bankroll
Setting
your poker bankroll requires taking an honest look at
not only your finical situation, but your risk
tolerance and ability to cope with swings. The first
rule in setting your poker bankroll for any gambling
is to only play with money you can afford to lose.
There should never be a compromise here. You have
obligations to yourself and family to never risk more
than you can afford to write off as entertainment.
This
doesn’t mean you can’t afford to play if you do
not have a lot of money to commit to your poker
bankroll. Your poker bankroll should start out small
and grow as your level of experience grows. One of the
most exciting and rewarding aspects of poker is
watching your poker bankroll grow from a few bucks, to
a few hundred and so on. So if you’ve got the money
to spend, and feel comfortable starting out with a
large poker bankroll that’s great. If not, you’re
fine; you’ll start slow, play low limits and work
your way up.
What to do with you Poker Bankroll
Now that we’ve established what your poker bankroll
is, let’s talk a little bit about what to do with it
once you’ve got one. Let’s set our imaginary poker
bankroll at $100. Now you’ve got $100, not for this
session, but for your long term poker play.
It
is not realistic to sit down at a $3/6 or $5/10 with
$100 and expect to consistently win and increase your
poker bankroll. When you sit down and your entire
poker bankroll is right there in front of you, you
will play poorly. Your game will turn into a defensive
attempt to maintain your poker bankroll while you wait
for a monster hand to double up. If you know anything
about poker, you know that it is an aggressive not
defensive game. Risking your whole poker bankroll in
one session is just ridiculous, do not ever do it.
Build Your Poker Bankroll
Instead,
understand that it will take time to build your poker
bankroll. Choose a limit where you can enter with
about 20% of poker bankroll. This let’s you absorb
five disastrous sessions before your poker bankroll is
depleted. Note that this does not mean that in certain
circumstances you will not need to replenish your
chips in the middle of a session. Think of the 20%
rule as a guideline. This will ensure that you will
always have enough money in your poker bankroll to
play the hand correctly at your limit. You may need to
take from your poker bankroll to replenish your chips
if you’re not ready to leave a session. The
important thing to remember is never risk too much of
your poker bankroll at one session. Having enough
chips to raise when it is the right play or dump a
hand when you know your beat, is imperative to
becoming a winning poker player. And this all starts
with your poker bankroll.
Poker
Bankroll Review:
1.
Never
play with more than you can afford to lose
2.
Your
poker bankroll is your partner
3.
Expect
your poker bankroll to be an evolving entity. Some
weeks you’ll win, some you will lose.
4.
Plan
to grow your poker bankroll slowly over time
5.
Never
enter a game that puts your entire poker bankroll in
play
6.
Stay at limits where you can comfortably buy in with
20% or less of your total poker bankroll
Looking for more information on poker bankroll
tips? Read our in depth article on poker
buy in and bankroll tips.
Interested in
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dominateonlinepoker.com.
