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Poker Bankroll

Having good rules when it comes to your poker bankroll is the first thing you have to do on your way to poker success. If you do not have sound bankroll management rules you are very likely to end up broke.

So then, how do you do this? What is a poker bankroll and what should I do with it, I don't understand? No problem, I will go through the basics and you can always read more in Bankroll Management after you are done with this article.

What Are These Rules You're Talking About?

Okay, let's say you have a bankroll of $1,000 and you want to start out learning No-Limit Hold'em. You have consider a few things.

You will likely not be a winner when you start learning, so you will want to choose a limit low enough where you can afford to lose money. I would start out at say $10 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em or even in the play money (fake money) games.

Most beginners think that this is nonsense, they are eager to start playing and winning a lot of money.

But you have to be realistic, do you want to make mistakes at $10 buy-in NLHE or do you want to lose your whole bankroll at $200 or even $1,000 buy-in NLHE?

What Is Your Point?

My point is that you will want to have over 50 buy-ins when you start out and be ready to lose a lot of those buy-ins because learning poker takes time like anything else worth being good at :) This means having $500 for a $10 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em game or playing for free in the fake money games!.

I myself am a winning poker player and like to keep a bankroll of 30 buy-ins for each limit I play, preferrably even 50 buy-ins because I play professionally and I can sometimes go a month or two without winning a nickle because of bad luck.

And you will go through stretches of bad luck, you should prepare yourself for this. Poker is a long-run game, you might be doing everything right and still lose 10 sessions in a row.

I repeat! When you are just beginning you should only play with money you can afford to lose, focus on learning the game and having fun. That will be the key to your success.

Summary

  • Take care of your poker bankroll and manage it wisely
  • Only play with money you can afford to lose
  • Have at least 30-50 buy-ins for each level after you start winning
  • Have some frikin' fun!

Ready to Play?

Are you ready to play? Whether it is real money or play money doesn't matter, I promise you that you will have a great time playing at Pokerstars. Click here to begin playing now!

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