Bankroll? Who Needs a Bankroll?

Hi. Come on in. Simple but healthy fare today – a variety of fresh fruits to gnaw on while we speak of our beloved game of poker.

Most poker players who grind it out at the low and medium limits come to a time in their playing careers when they ponder moving up to play at a higher limit.

The smaller games they play are providing small but consistent wins. It follows, then, that a larger game would provide larger consistent wins. And wouldn't that be nice! But before you move up – think. Some of your most important thinking should be about your bankroll. Is it large enough for the limit you want to play? And how large is large enough?

The question of "bankroll" is never considered by most low-limit players. Mistake! 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.

Low-limit players are mostly recreational players who sometimes win, and sometimes lose. Mostly, they manage to stay about even with the game or run a little behind – nothing really serious or they couldn't keep playing. But they all eventually look across the cardroom 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.

Before walking over there, have the thought in your mind that while it's just a short walk from over here to over there, it's a long walk back. When you do go over there, plan ahead, so that you'll be able to stay over there.

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

You raise the question of why 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. That's why you need a bankroll.

Now the question is, 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 the higher limit. If you're not comfortable, it's going to be difficult to win. Feel at ease when you sit down, so that you can afford some short-term losses if need be.

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. Be comfortable.

For playing at the indicated limits, consider these bankroll amounts as absolute minimums. If you're playing any form of low poker, add 50 percent to these figures.

To play $5-$10, you'll want a bankroll of at least $2,000 devoted exclusively to playing poker. To play regularly at the $10-$20 limit, sock away $4,000 before you sit down. At $15-$30, you'll want $6,000. I want to stress again, these are minimums – and this money is for playing poker only.

And just where do you get this bankroll? We'll talk more about this at a future time, but for now I'll say that the best way to acquire it is to save it from your winnings from your lower-limit game. There's nothing like playing on someone else's money.

So, here's your incentive to improve your poker skills and sharpen your play: Your winnings are going toward a bankroll, so that you can move up a limit and build an even bigger bankroll, and move up again.

Good luck!

The pears were quite juicy. And your tongue has taken on the color of the blueberries. Take some for later and 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. Call 1-800-548-6177, Ext. 03.