A Free Poker Bankroll, Yours for the Playing

Hi. Come on in. Flop your body down on a couple of those huge pillows and get comfy while we talk some poker.

I forget who first said, "There is no such thing as a free lunch," but there is a free bankroll available to you. Draw close and heed what I am saying. Yes, I'm here to offer you free money. Today I have two ways for you to freeroll yourself into a higher-limit game.

Almost all low-limit poker players I know would like to play at a higher limit, but they don't have large enough bankrolls – or are not willing to risk what money they have at a higher level.

Actually, the financial problem with most low-limit poker players is that they don't have bankrolls at all, period. Whatever money a player happens to have with him when he goes to play is his "bankroll." The $40 or $50 buy-in is just like the money he would be spending on anything else. If he wins, the money goes back into his pocket. If he loses, that pocket is just a bit more flat. There is no bankroll to go up or down. What every player needs, even at the low limits, is a bankroll that is exclusively for playing poker.

Now, here are some ideas on how to get that bankroll. It's the most simple thing in the world: Let other people give it to you. Starting with your very next win, set aside the amount of the win, however large or small. Presto, you've started a bankroll! Keep this money separate from your "regular" money.

With each win, your bankroll grows and you move closer to playing with other people's money. Let's suppose you're a $1-$5 player who wants to move up to $5-$10. (If you're a $5-$10 or $10-$20 player who wants to move higher, simply increase the numbers I'm using here.)

At $5-$10, you should have a buy-in per game of at least $100 – and an overall bankroll of at least $2,000 to play regularly at that limit. If you are a patient, methodical person, keep setting aside your winnings. If you play three times a week with average winnings of just $50 per session, you'll have your $2,000 bankroll in a bit more than three months. Then, you can move up and take your shot. But, your winnings must be consistently set aside.

Keep in mind that you're going to take a free shot at the next higher limit, using other people's money. If you keep spending your winnings, you'll be a low-limit player forever. But, of course, I fully realize that many of you are not into being patient and methodical, and three months can seem like an eternity. For you I have the "Roy West Quick and Painless Freeroll Plan to Fame and Fortune." You're going to take the shortcut.

Taking the shortcut could involve some ups and downs, so you'll want to be prepared mentally and financially. One of the concepts of managing your money states: Don't play regularly in any game that is too big for your bankroll. Your target $5-$10 game calls for a bankroll of $2,000 to cover any short-term losses, but you're not concerned with the short term when taking the shortcut. You're looking to move up as quickly as possible.

When your bankroll set aside from your low-limit winnings reaches $400, take $100 of it to a $5-$10 game. Remember, you're on a freeroll with other people's money. You're not concerned at this time with the long run, but with the quick thrust. Let's think positively and assume that you win $100.

Your new and improved bankroll is now $500, enough for five playing sessions at $5-$10. At this point, I must provide a cautious reminder that you are playing way over your head as far as your bankroll is concerned. If you were to lose back the $400 profit – or if during your first session the $100 was lost – you would have to drop back to your previous limit of play and start over. Do not continue to play at the $5-$10 level. To do so would be courting disaster.

You moved up once with other people's money and you can do it again. It might take several tries, but soon you'll be a regular $5-$10 player. Now, you can start freerolling your way up to $10-$20. Good luck!

No, you can't take the pillows home. I'm going to nap on them right now. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 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 800 number from his ad.