Hello,

I'm new to the forums and this is my first post.

I've always played poker by making small deposits. 20$ here, 50$ there etc.

Reading around, I'm starting to get the sense that I should have been saving up those small deposits so that I could play with the security of playing deep.

I figure the easiest way is to stop playing poker for awhile and just put what I would normally deposit into a piggy bank or something. It sucks being unable to play but I cannot play with 20$ at a time anymore.

What types of goals should i set for deposit before I start using the money to play? $1000? $5000? anything seems bigger than 20-100$ lost in a day or two.

Thanks for the advice.

Hey,

Your bankroll depth is a direct relationship of what games you play.
For example, No-Limit Holdem games if you want to use aggressive brm use 25bi rule, it means you have at least 25 full (100bb) buy-in in your bankroll.
Safe to go is 50+bi rules.
For NL10 games where 100bb is 10$, it is 250$ for aggressive brm and 500$+ for bit more conservative brm.

Thank you for the tips. $500 seems like it would be far smarter than playing 50c/$1 with my entire 80$ roll.

I prefer tournaments. I like to play $12 tournaments and smaller for the most part. Normally I'll dedicate one deposit to 3 or 4 tournaments.

Reading around, 100 BI seems like the average for a tournament bankroll... This would be $1200. Does this mean with a $500 BR I should never play $12 tournaments, and should only play Cash games until I have won or saved enough to afford 100BI?

I really would rather be playing right now, but I understand that I need to work and save in order to afford to play. No one wants to stake a broke man :P Time to grind for those $$$ haha

First of all, it's not a bankroll if you're a losing player. Instead, you should think of it as a budget. An amount you're prepared to lose for a bit of entertainment or learning experience. That is the situation you are in right now.

Once you can actually beat a game, at that point you have a bankroll. That bankroll is used to withstand the short term variance of the game. How big the bankroll needs to be depends on your edge. A smaller edge requires a bigger bankroll.

Having a bankroll isn't going to magically turn you into a winning player, you'll burn through that money just as fast. Using bankroll management is usually a good idea for beginners because you restrict your losses when you're not good enough to play a certain stake but I don't think you're ready to play $12 tournaments yet. Start out with the smallest stakes and have about 100 buy ins for tournaments or 25 buy ins for cash.

Thank you Kelvis, I will keep this in mind. My boredom is what pushes me to overstep my Bank Roll. I find 1-2 dollar buyin tournaments feel a little boring. I guess I should focus on placing in any tournament I play in. Making first is all that matters

A bankroll is the amount of money a poker player has to play the game - if they are unwilling or unable to refill from other money.

Makes sense if you are a pro as if you go bust your poker career is done. If you are making, say, 100k a year and you are not over-spending, you can easily budget 1000$ and refill if you bust. In effect, that is a budget, not a bankroll.

However, most of the poker community do not want people to play with bill and food money or to scrap their finances playing poker, hence why it is still pushed to consider that money a "bankroll" and good BR is highly recommended.

So... I SHOULD stop using tomorrows grocery money for Poker?

Damn, well I'm glad at least someone told me. I'll start saving up to start a proper Bank Roll. I'm just bored and don't want to wait I'm sure most of us have been in my shoes.

Yep...

You can put the 25/50 buck deposit in there but just remember your going to be limited to micro stakes...and you will have to grind it to a point where you can play something better.

you could always try to freeroll as well.

or you can make the deposit as you go. 250 now and maybe 250 a month later. But this is probably a bad idea.

Speaking of bankrolls, I have a question for live players that may read stupid at first - how did you set your money in to begin playing live games? Did you first set a full bankroll aside for live games, or did you start with a lower amount, but put money aside with each payday for live poker?

I ask because I am considering playing live games from time to time. However, the lowest blinds here in and around Montreal are 1/2$. From a strict BRM point of view, I do not have near the available means for a 30BI in a live game, plus rake, plus dealer tips. So I was curious to know how live poker players set themselves up when they started playing.

I know the dream is to buy in with the Minimum and then leave with 5 grand... But I think that's the exception not the norm.