Bankroll management

Your bankroll is the money you have set aside for poker, separate from everything else in your life. Managing it well means you can survive the bad runs every player has, and never play with money you cannot afford to lose.

Rule zero

Your bankroll is money you can afford to lose entirely. Not rent, not savings, not borrowed money. If losing it would hurt your life, it is not a bankroll. See responsible gambling.

Why you need one

Even a winning player has long losing stretches, because poker has variance: you can play well and lose for days. A bankroll big enough relative to your stakes means a bad week is just a bad week, not the end of your poker.

How big?

These are common guidelines. More conservative is always fine.

Tournaments need more because you lose most of them: the profit comes from rare big wins.

Example

You have 1,000 lei set aside for poker cash games. With 25 buy-ins as your rule, your buy-in should be 1,000 ÷ 25 = 40 lei, which means a game with a big blind of 0.40 lei (100 big blinds = 40 lei).

Moving up and down

• Move up when your bankroll reaches your buy-in rule for the next stake, for example 25 buy-ins of the higher game.
• Move down when it drops below the rule for your current stake. This is the hard part, and the most important one. Stubbornly playing on at stakes you can no longer afford is how most bankrolls die.
• Take shots if you like: one or two buy-ins at a higher stake, but return to your normal stake if they are lost.

Habits that protect it

• Keep records. Note each session's result. You cannot manage what you do not measure.
• Separate it. Keep poker money in its own account or e-wallet.
• Set a stop-loss. Decide in advance to stop for the day after losing, for example, three buy-ins. It also protects you from tilt.
• Use the site's limits. Licensed rooms offer deposit limits. Set them.

In a free home game there is no bankroll to manage: the chips cost nothing. It is the best place to practise before playing for money. Start a table.