~ B A N K R O L L M A N A G E M E N T ~
Playing Within Your Limits
So how do you know what levels and limits of play are right for you? That is the age old question, whether you're looking to play a certain game and want to create the bankroll for it, or you already have the bankroll and want to know what you can do with it. There are many "rules of thumb" that poker experts will throw at you, and for the most part they're fairly accurate. There is of course no exact figure that's going to work best, but obviously it's always better to be safe than sorry. If your bankroll is $10,000 buying in to the World Series of Poker Main Event (buy-in of $10,000) would not be a wise choice, and it would in fact be a huge gamble. What makes poker profitable for winning players is that they reduce the amount of gambling involved by playing small percentages of their bankroll at a time, thus exposing their skills to more opportunities for gain and essentially nullifying any chances of going broke. Finding the appropriate games and limits for your bankroll and establishing a solid profit margin can be tricky and frustrating at time, but each requires the same skills that you utilize in actual poker play - logic, discipline, and a heck of a lot of patience.
Playing within your limits:
First of all note that we are talking first and foremost here about upper limits. There is no shame at all in playing below your limits, or even just freerolling for fun. This would still technically be playing within your limits. The table below should help though to give you an idea of the range of limits that would be ideal for your bankroll.
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Big Bets/Buy-Ins (% of Bankroll) |
| Game Type |
Safe |
Moderate |
Risky |
| Limit |
>400 BB (-) |
300-400 BB (-) |
<300 BB (-) |
| PL / NL |
>30 BI (<3%) |
20-30 BI (3-5%) |
<20 BI (>5%) |
| SNG |
>50 BI (<2%) |
35-50 BI (2-3%) |
<35 BI (>3%) |
| MTT |
>75 BI (<1%) |
50-75 BI (1-2%) |
<50 BI (>2%) |
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Calculate your limits 1 of 2 ways:
* BR = Bankroll, BI = Buy-Ins/Big Bets, LI = Limit
BR / BI = LI
ex: $400 / 400 BB = $1 ($.50/$1.00 Limit)
ex: $400 / 50 BI = $8 ($8 SNG's)
LI x BI = BR
ex: $25 x 30 = $750 (Bankroll for $25 NL)
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Obviously you can adjust the calculations according to your range of comfort, and you may feel as if the guidelines above are quite conservative on the whole. Remember though that these guidelines were formulated based on a strategy of long-term bankroll sustainability, accounting for major downswings in play and expected learning curves of new players or game environments. Barring disastrous play or a curse from the poker gods themselves, if you follow a moderate to safe bankroll management strategy you should never have to reload your funds.
~ Next: Moving Up In Limits
~ Previous: What Is A Bankroll?
~ Summary: Bankroll Management Overview
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