Bankroll Management

Contents:

• The size of your bankroll
• Bankroll fluctuations and influencing factors
• Proper bankroll for the stakes rise

In this article we will talk about how much you need to keep money in your poker account for comfortable gaming at certain limits or otherwise of bankroll management. Also give tips – how best to climb the stakes in terms of money management. If you play poker is not for entertainment, but for a living, then you need to know the basic rules of money management, and strictly comply with them.

1. The size of your bankroll

What is the desired size of your bankroll? In the table below are indicative figures for the three different approaches: bankroll a professional player, protected and unprotected bankroll bankroll.

- Example for limit hold ‘em : If you want to play at stakes $ 1 / $ 2 dollars, the size of a protected bankroll will be $ 800. If you plan to play simultaneously on two tables – a cook $ 1.600.

- Example for a no-limit hold’em: suppose you are going to play NL 50 (with blinds $ 0.25 / $ 0.50), while the size of a protected bankroll should be $ 1250. If you play on 2 tables at the same time, it is desirable to have on deposit $ 2.500.

- Example for a sit-and-On: To play in the CIS with an entrance fee of $ 11 for a secure bankroll must have on deposit $ 1.100.

Professional: Column “Professional” is designed for people who live solely on income from poker, and for which the “plums” bankroll would mean a complete financial collapse. In carrying out the requirements of the ruin probability for a plus player will not exceed 1%. It is clear that not every player who plays the stakes $ 1 / $ 2, can afford to keep a bankroll of $ 9.000. But should this be achieved, if you want to make poker your main profession.

Protected bankroll: Figures in this column is also intended for people who see poker as a source of steady income. Most players are from Russia believe this level of bankroll more than enough for a comfortable game. However, we recommend you consider this approach as a starter to build a solid bankroll.

Unprotected bankroll: Starting the game with a bankroll vulnerable “should always be prepared for the fact that the beam a bad start you have to descend to the level below, or make another deposit. Usually this kind of money management is used to rapidly build an initial capital. When using the “unprotected bankroll the average plus a player has a 10% chance of losing all his money before he could reach safe levels in the amount of your account. If you use a bankroll, constantly taking off his winnings, then drain the virtually inevitable.

2. Bankroll fluctuations and influencing factors

Now let’s look at how money management works in practice. To this end, we discuss such a thing as the oscillation (or otherwise it is called a variance).

Fluctuations – a short-term changes in the account (the ups and downs), which differ from the average of the results. The size of the oscillations depends on a number of important factors:

- Your “win rate” (win rate – a measure of the profitability of your game at a distance is calculated as the number of big blinds won per 100 hands) is the main factor affecting the magnitude of vibration of your bankroll. Plus a solid player with an exponent winrate in 2BB/100 receive daunstrik (minus) in 300BB probably only once in 10 years. Less experienced player with a win rate 0.5 BB/100 in a situation of losing 300BB every year or once every two years. The conclusion is simple – the higher your win rate, so you will be less negative short-term deviations bankroll. Therefore, the study of the theory of poker and improve your game will help reduce fluctuations in your bankroll.

- Your psychological stability is also very seriously affect the range of fluctuations in your bankroll. If you are emotionally unstable, it can result in loss 50BB “daunstrikom in 200BB or even worse. When a player gets into a state of tilt and can not stop, it risks completely ruined, emptied my bankroll.

- Your style of play affects the range of fluctuations in betting account, to a lesser extent than the above-mentioned factors. The player in the loose manner, but with the same win rate with a tight player will generally have more hesitation. But this does not mean that the plus loose-aggressive player should change his style of play, he only needed to have a slightly larger bankroll, so no worries to cope with more frequent “swing” (waves, vibrations).

- your opponents playing style, of course, has a definite influence on the vibrations of your bankroll. The more you play with a loose opponents, the greater becomes the range of fluctuations in your account, but it is compensated by the growth of your winrate.

- When playing in tournament tables a huge impact on a range of bankroll fluctuations have the structure of payments and the number of participants in the tournament . The larger playing field, the less you’ll take one of the first prizes, where the players are getting major money. The table shows the figures calculated for about 200 participants in the tournament. In tournaments with a large number of players, but a small fee your variance will be high, but the high will and IC, as you will easily beat most frankly weak players. Also keep in mind that to play in rebuy tournaments you will need several times larger bankroll than the freezeout tournaments.

- Number of players at the table in cash games is inversely related to the variance of your game. At long tables fluctuations account will be higher for short below. This is because the short-handed play more loose aggressive. Heads-ups and sit-and second tournaments by themselves suggest a high range of bankroll fluctuations. In games one by one win rate will have a huge impact on your variance. A player wins only 55% of the games will have very large swings, while a stronger player with a 70% win rate could cost just double the size of your bankroll from that given in the table.

Having examined the materials on possible fluctuations account you will be able to more accurately determine the size of your bankroll required, taking into account the personal characteristics of the game.

3. Proper bankroll for the stakes rise

Many of the players to determine the level of tables (limits) for the game using the principle of floating bankroll. To this end, we establish the upper limit of the size of your bankroll, above which the player moves on to the tables with a higher limit. And also sets the lower limit of your bankroll, which should immediately descend to a lower level.

Let us examine an example of calculating the boundaries and limits of the transition:

Suppose you are playing limit at $ 10 / $ 20 and set themselves the following dimensions for the lower and upper limits of your bankroll: lower 350BB, 450BB top. Since the lower boundary it is clear – when the level of $ 7.000 a bankroll you need to go down to the tables of $ 5 / $ 10. With the upper limit of more complicated so that in case of loss did not have to immediately return to the level below the upper limit is set on a higher level. That is, we calculate the boundary for a level of $ 15 / $ 30 – the upper limit for this level is obtained by $ 13.500 and $ 10.500 lower. So earning at $ 10 / $ 20 – $ 13,500, you can go to the level of $ 15 / $ 30, and having fallen to $ 10,500 – you need to go back to the level of $ 10 / $ 20.

After big wins is often a desire to move to a higher level, especially happens with tournament players. If you are sure that you can maintain a high win rate at a new level, you can try, this should not greatly increase the range of fluctuations in your account.

Cache players never want to jump right through a level, and in passing up clearly establish the size of loss, after which it is necessary to go back. This figure may in no case exceed 10% of your bankroll. Unscheduled visits to a higher level are possible, if you’re there you can see your favorite “Fish” and think you can play, plus waiting for a higher win rate.

For tournament players rise to the top hits can become a tournament with an overlap of the prize fund, which happens sometimes in the poker room PokerStars. Poker room in such cases, the pay of the prize, so the expectation of winning increases. But in any case should never play in tournaments with a buy of more than 5% of your bankroll.