[Texun1]

Any player must at first ask himself the question: "How much should I invest in this?" Any player that wants to start playing for real, because if you are just playing for fun you can have any bankroll, anything you can afford and if you win it's for the best, but if you lose, you don't have to worry about it. So, if you want to become a serious poker player you'll have to take inconsideration many things. The first thinks you have to reflect upon are related to your gaming style, what games they like playing, where are they playing these games and their budget and reason for playing poker.

Experts calculated some possible bankrolls and you might often find information that says a good bankroll to start with should be about 300 times higher that the value of one bet. So, if you want to play a $2-$4 game, then your bankroll must be something like $1,200, 300 times higher than the big bet. This can work, but it is too general. You must really look into your playing style. If you are a solid player, that thinks every hand and folds often when needed, then you probably don't need that much. If, on the other hand you are rather loose and play almost all the hands, then you will be involved in many pots and you might need more.

The type of games played is also an important factor. If you play draw poker then you need less money than in triple draw. It's just some calculus and the solution is obvious. Also so me games have more betting rounds that other games and these games require an extended bankroll.

Also, when you play no limit holdem this limit is way too little. If the big blind of the game is $3, the bankroll of $900 is way too little for this type of game. Here you can find your self in the situation where you have to bet $50 at a time, and just dividing you can clearly see that if raised and re-raised the bet can be pretty high and you can end up loosing all the bankroll in just a few sessions. The key for an appropriate bankroll is to make it fit into the statistic. The more games we can play the more chances to increase our bankroll we have. So if you only have $1,200 to spend for this, then do not choose a no limit game. It is for the best if you consider your financial possibilities also, because you don't want to end up playing just to win, being afraid at all times that you are going too lose your bankroll and be broke. playing scared will only make you lose, so don't do it.

Author: J Finney