The Fuel of Poker

Hi. Come on in. I just whipped up a batch of zucchini shakes. Delicious.

Let's talk about the fuel of poker, which is – money. Without money, there is no poker. Have you ever played poker without money? The game quickly falls apart because there is nothing at risk. Everyone bets the universe on every card. A bet has no value, no risk. With no risk, there's no game; it's as simple as that. So, you need money to play poker.

OK, let's talk about your bankroll. What is it? Why do you need one? Where do you get it?

Every low- and medium-limit poker player eventually experiences a time in his playing career when he ponders moving up to play a higher limit. The smaller games provide small, consistent wins, so it follows that a larger game would provide larger consistent wins. And wouldn't that be nice. But before you move up – think.

Your most important thoughts should be about your bankroll. Is it big enough for the limit you want to play? And how big is big enough?

Most low- and medium-limit players never consider the issue of bankroll. They usually just sit down and play with the money they happen to have in their jeans. If it's enough for a buy-in, they play. If it's not, they don't. Their "bankroll" is whatever cash they happen to be holding at the time. For many of these players, a loss breaks them, and they can't play again until they somehow acquire more money, probably by waiting until payday.

For the most part, low- and medium-limit players are recreational players who sometimes win and sometimes lose. Mostly, they lose, but nothing really serious or they couldn't keep playing. But they all eventually look across the room to a higher-limit game and think about walking over there to have a seat. This thought usually occurs to them when they've scored a nice win.

It's just a short walk from over here to over there, but keep in mind that it's a long walk back. When you go over there, plan ahead so that you'll be able to stay over there.

A bankroll, what is it? A bankroll is not the money you happen to have on you at the moment. A bankroll is a specific amount of money that you have set aside for the purpose of playing the game of poker. Your rent does not come out of your bankroll, and neither does gasoline, shoes, or trolley fare. Your bankroll is playing money – period.

Why do you need a bankroll? If you're playing with whatever money you happen to have with you, your first loss will send you right back to the lower limit, or even out of action entirely.

So, you have to be prepared for a loss. That's why you need a bankroll. Your bankroll is "where you go" to get back into action. If you're not in action, you can't win; and if you don't have a bankroll, you can't be in action.

How much money should you have in your bankroll? As much as you can muster. The more you have in reserve, the more comfortable you'll feel about playing at a higher limit. If you're not comfortable, it's going to be difficult to win.

You should feel at ease when you sit down so that you can, if need be, afford some short-term setbacks.

Don't play on a short bankroll, especially when you're moving up to a higher limit. It's too tough psychologically. If you take a few losses, you could be devastated.

Consider these amounts as minimums for playing regularly at the indicated limits. To play $1-$5, you'll want a bankroll of at least $1,000; $3-$6, $1,500; $5-$10, $2,000; and $10-$20, $4,000. I want to stress again that these are minimums – and this money is for playing poker only.

Where do you get this bankroll? The absolute best place to acquire it is from your winnings from the low-limit games. There's nothing like playing on someone else's money.

So, there's your incentive to increase your poker skills and sharpen your play. Your wins are going toward building your bankroll so that you can move up in limits and build an even bigger bankroll to move up again.

I never saw anyone drink three of those shakes before, and I made them double thick. Now I tire and require repose. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the best seller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get his toll-free number from his ad.