Poker Lesson 41: Your Bankroll

When most people start playing serious poker for serious money, financial questions suddenly come to the fore. The biggest topic is usually the question of how much money they should invest in the game. First of all, if you are a beginner or just doing this for fun, don't put up any more money than you can lose and still enjoy yourself. If the game is just for fun, treat it from a financial standpoint. Losing your car payment playing Holdem on the Internet would definitely not fall into the category of "fun". Also you could consider play money offerings by the poker rooms.

Be mindful of your comfort factor when you play. If you can easily lose 100 bucks, go for it. You may lose your money or you may grow it into a very substantial bankroll. The worst you will lose is the financial equivalent of what most guys spend on date night.

When you are a professional, the bankroll considerations are much different. These types of players are looking to consistently make money at a given limit. If this describes you, then you should be able to bank 200 big bets at the limit you play. So if you play $2-4 games, you should have a $800 bankroll ($4 * 200). These numbers prevent you from losing everything on a bad night at the casino.

There are those who will argue that 200 big bets is too low for shorthand, but this is where being realistic about potential losses comes into play. You should not invest more than 200 big bets unless you have a proven success at that limit.

Make a point of keeping a journal of your sessions. Tracking your progress will tell you how you are doing at a certain limit and let you know if you are successful or need to go down in limits.