Poker Strategy Article: Managing Your Online Poker Bankroll

My internet poker playing friend was out of townyourself a better player, you will also have more
a few weeks ago, and couldn't get his regular sitebankroll room at the $10 level.
to work well, so knowing I had extra cash in myIt is an invaluable experience to care for your
Party Poker account he asked for a hundredbankroll in this way. I have done this several times
bucks to play there during his visit. Sure fine. Awhen my bankroll needed it to the point now that
few hours later he lets me know he lost 2,when I sit a SNG table, I know that through my
$20+2 SNG tourneys in a row, both by baddedication of learning the game at each level, I
beats. His intention at that time was to go into aam a favorite to place in that tournament. This
$30+3 to try and make it back. He is a goodmay sound of a drastic move, but treating your
player so I wasn't about to lecture him on hisbankroll with the utmost respect is the key to
bankroll, but herein you will find exactly that.success.
The skills involved in managing your bankrollTo play is to dedicate.
effectively are basic math, dedication to learningIt isn't going to be easy to double your bankroll at
the game, the humility to drop down a level, andthis level. Your commitment and dedication to
anger management. Seriously.each stage involves learning, patience, and intense
The above scenario is no doubt very common. Inobservation. and is a supreme test of your core
fact, poker sites love reload players like mypersonality. Think this is overboard? I have seen
friend. The players who know they are good,players losing it to the point of me stopping them
make that, "too good" to play within their ownfrom punching a wall or tossing a laptop. These
bankroll are the most profitable. Inevitably, notare otherwise normal acquaintances.
managing your bankroll, no matter how good youAnd then there was anger management.
are, will result in failure. By the incontestable lawsThis is not a funny movie. This is about battling
of probabilities and mathematics, this is undeniable.that desire to make up lost ground by moving up
It doesn't matter if you are playing with aa level, not down. This is where you need to
hundred bucks or a million, the result is always theknow the value of your cards before you shove
same. It has been widely reported that a certainan all-in play at that maniacal player who has
multiple WPT champion has repeatedly playedraised you yet again. By the way, at that point,
over his bankroll and blown his WPT winnings. Ithe is usually holding a monster and has trained
happens on any level, as the principle is the same.you like a monkey to step right in. If you are
You will need basic math skills to the tune ofplaying within your bankroll, losing your temper is
knowing what 2, 5, and 10 percent of yournever really an issue, because losing a game or a
bankroll is. No matter what your game you shouldhand to a bad beat or poor play is not going to
never be playing with more than 10% of yourcripple your account. Many of your opponents will
bankroll. For example, if you deposit 100 dollarsplay their entire bankroll at a table or a
into your account, you shouldn't take more thantournament and you can take advantage of this,
$10 to any game. This is going to limit you to .50because in that situation, they will NEVER be able
1.00 limit hold'em, or $5 to $10 SNG's. You couldto make optimal decisions. You can surely imagine
also play an MTT for that entry, but I don'tthough how they will be tilting the moment they
recommend that because it would be unlikely forlose a big hand, because that one hand may
you to place in the money. If you think you canrepresent 75% of their whole bankroll. Tilting after
lick this game right off and deposit $1000, thenyou lose a big hand in such a scenario, is pretty
you can bring $100 bucks to any table for play.much inescapable. Their mindset is already looking
Still, this is not recommended. If you are learning,forward to another reload, as they mentally
you should learn to move up to that level, ratherprepare themselves to exit the table with nothing.
than buy yourself into it. Trust me, you will wantI have seen this literally thousands of times online.
to avoid the painful strategy of buying yourselfIt's in the math.
into a higher limit.When I say maximum 10%, I really try to play
Enter humility.with 5% or less. For example, I usually have
Your humility should allow you to play at a levelbetween $2,000 and $4,000 in my party poker
that forces you to become proficient and earnaccount. When I have more I withdraw down to
yourself a bankroll to move up. If that means .25about $2,500 because I, personally, never want to
.50 hold'em, then that is your challenge. If you arebe below $2,000 as that will restrict some of the
going to learn, learn cheap, learn smart, and earntables/events I play at. Let's say I have $2,500
your way up to the next level. You will feel sonow and want to play in the Sunday Million which
much more confident when moving up a level inhas an entry fee of $215. Therefore, $215 divided
having conquered the level before it. Others willinto $2,500 = 8.6% which is within the 10%
have paid to get in that level, and thoseguideline. However, let me tell you why it's STILL
opponents will be at your mercy.the wrong decision to pay for that tournament. If
On the other hand, once you move up a level andthat is how you are investing your bankroll, you
find yourself struggling, you need to go backneed to realize the likelihood of playing that circuit
down a level and refocus your efforts andprofitably. In other words, you have basically 10
education. When to do this exactly, is a questionchances to place that tourney. You may very well
of math. If your bankroll has not increased atbe able to do that however, it is not unusual to
your new game level and comes perilously closego through 10, 20 or even 40 tournaments
to that 10% guideline, it's time to back up. Don'twithout placing - even for the pros. If multi table
let it get below that level, because once youtournaments are your game, you should be
break the guideline once, it's much easier the nextlooking to have a bankroll of about 50 buy-ins.
time, and the next, and the next... This will lead toThat is how dry tournaments can get. Using the
mismanagement, and reloading. Here is an50 buy-in formula, you should have $10,000+ in
example: You deposited $100 and started withyour account to pay for the Sunday Million.
the 5 buck sit and go circuit and skillfully built yourThink of it this way. If you are good enough to
bankroll up to $250, where you correctly decidedprofit in this tournament, then you should easily
to move up to the $10 SNG tables. You played 7be able to win a qualifier to get in it for about 5%
tournaments at that level and only placed onceto 10% of the entry fee. If you can't win one of
with a second place showing. This has droppedthose tourneys, filled with rookies, then you have
your bankroll down to $203. Although another $10no justification for paying the big tourney entry
entry is well within 10%, it is more than 5%, andfee outright.
since you haven't performed well, you shouldImproving your game and learning strategies at
gather your humility and understand that there iseach level are clearly imperative skills in managing
more to learn. In this case, I would go back toyour bankroll, but one depends on the other, so in
the 5 buck SNG tables, and work my bankroll upessence you need to train yourself in both and
to $300, before attempting your next move up.reap the rewards as you advance.
Once you reach that goal, and have proven