subject: Online Poker Bankroll Management [print this page] There are plenty of stories about poker players going broke during their, sometimes very short, poker career. Does this mean that they are all bad players? Certainly not! Most of them just dont understand the basic rules of proper bankroll management which is key in becoming a successful poker player. Good bankroll management ensures you that the natural variance of the game does not lead you to go broke.
What does proper bankroll management mean?
If you take poker serious, you will not take all of your money to one single table. You need to make sure youre having a bankroll that is large enough to absorb big downswings. However, this does not mean you need multiple thousands of dollars in your account. It just means you need to have enough buy-ins in your account for the stakes youre playing.
No-Limit cash game bankroll management
A lot of different suggestions can be found about the amount of buy-ins you should have in your account to comfortably be playing at the stakes of your choice. We recommend having at least 20 buy-ins to start with on the micro stakes, for example 2nl with blinds $0.01/$0.02, thus $40. Once you reach 20 buy-ins for the next level, 5nl with blinds $0.02/$0.05 you can comfortably move up (with a $100 bankroll).
The 20 buy-in guideline we recommend is only for the micro stakes. Keep in mind that its better to have a much bigger bankroll (buy-in wise) once you reach the higher stakes. The higher stakes youll play, the more aggressive/better your opponents will be. This will result in bigger pots meaning your swings will be higher.Important is that you feel comfortable and avoid playing with scared money.
Be prepared to drop down
Even the best players in the world will have to deal with losing periods and the last thing you want to do is blow your bankroll. When youre in a long lasting period of losses, which is called a downswing, you should move down in stakes once you reach 15 buy-ins and work your way back up. Once your bankroll reaches those 20 buy-ins once more, you can move up again. A lot of people ignore dropping down in this situation just because they are too proud. Eventually, these are the players that will go broke, its just a matter of time.
Sit and Gos and Multi-table tournaments
Its very important to know that tournaments and sit and gos have more variance then cash games. Therefore the suggested number is at least 40 times your average buy-in, so if you start with $100, you should be playing $2 tournaments until you get up to at least $160 before playing the $4 tournaments.
