Bankroll Management – which level should I play?
Bankroll Management – which level should I play?
In order to be able to survive the normal fluctuations you should play a level that is a) corresponding to your skills, and b) corresponding to your bankroll.
Of course, if you have inherited a million dollars and you are just playing for fun, you are welcome to play 100$/200$ right away (please do not forget to send me an email with your nickname, exact date and time when you intend to do that).
All other mortals should start at 0,05/0,10 $ Limit Hold’em, meaning a Big Bet is 10 cents.
For every level, you should have a minimum of 200 Big Bets in your bankroll. If your bankroll falls under a certain level (100 Big Bets), go back to the lower level and build up again.
In the lowest level, of course you can start with a smaller amount. Even with 5 or 10 $ you should normally not go bankrupt, if you stick to what you learned from this document. Remember, poker players need discipline!
Here’s a guideline table for your bankroll management:
Limit in $ |
|
|
|
|
Small Bet |
Big Bet |
Minimum Bankroll in $ |
Change to higher level after reaching |
Change to lower level when down to |
$0,05 |
$0,10 |
|
|
|
$0,10 |
$0,20 |
$40,00 |
$60,00 |
$20,00 |
$0,15 |
$0,30 |
$60,00 |
$120,00 |
$40,00 |
$0,25 |
$0,50 |
$100,00 |
$200,00 |
$60,00 |
$0,50 |
$1,00 |
$200,00 |
$400,00 |
$100,00 |
$1,00 |
$2,00 |
$400,00 |
$800,00 |
$200,00 |
$2,00 |
$4,00 |
$800,00 |
$1.200,00 |
$400,00 |
$3,00 |
$6,00 |
$1.200,00 |
$2.000,00 |
$800,00 |
$5,00 |
$10,00 |
$2.000,00 |
$4.000,00 |
$1.200,00 |
$10,00 |
$20,00 |
$4.000,00 |
|
$2.000,00 |
One more thing: tournaments and especially no-limit tournaments are a completely different ballgame and you should not play there as a beginner. As an exception, you may want to participate in a freeroll tournament sometimes just for the fun of it. Such a tournament can have up to 10.000 participants and last for up to 12 hours (unless you get eliminated in the first rounds…), so you need a lot of time and patience. The probability of ending up at the final table is small and the prize money is low. You can learn more from playing the regular “cash games”.
In order to play tournaments, you will need an additional bankroll of app. 50 times the buy-in you normally play.
Also, it is very important to choose the right room according to the bankroll you have at any given time. The room should be chosen in a way that the bonus and the releasing requiremnts of that bonus fits your playing level and your bankroll. Find out more about the best way to boost your bankroll by using the various bonus offers here.