BankRoll Question: With online micro stakes no longer an option in "the land of the free", what is the best of several bad options for building a live roll with only $2500 available for playing 1/3 NL. (1/2 NL isn't spread within 500 miles).

1. Just Play on 8 Buy Ins & Buy In Full ($300).

2. Play with 20 Buy Ins of $120 (40 bb).

3. Play 4/8 Limit. (300 BB, properly rolled and properly bored).

4. Play Daily/Weekly MTTs. ($60-$160).

$2500 is plenty for 1/3 assuming this is your poker bankroll and not your life roll (I.e. you're not paying expenses out of it)..

I would go with option #1. It has the lowest variance path.

Option 2 is easy to go broke since when you play with 40bb, you're going to make a lot of top pair / Overpair type hands and you're going to be in a spot where you can't make such lines as bet/folding top pair.

Option 3 is pretty marginal. Unless you're playing in a casino where $4/8 is raked like $2-3 per pot, you're just going to get eaten alive by the rake to make any sort of decent profit.

Option 4 is the worst of the bunch. MTTs are huge variance luckfests and while people are terrible in lol live donkaments, $2500 is not enough when your average buyin is going to be around $100. Also, not to mention, you're probably going to overtip when you do hit a good score.

win

^ this

But yeah full 8 buy ins is best IMO.

If you are competent then 1/3NL should be lowish variance as your edge will be so high. (Most 1/2 or 1/3 games I've played have been about a 5NL skill level)
If you're particularly concerned then play a more TAG style > LAG style or can even take some slight less optimal lines that are lower variance (thinking pot control/flatting opens instead of 3 betting etc.)

stole my answer.

But to give you a more serious and better answer, 1 is the only way that gives you the possibility of winning more than a couple of dollars per hour. You still need to be a good player and run a little hot.

None of the above. Work, save money and play 2/5+.

Yeah, you'll sure save a lot of money making that $7 an hour. Go USA!

Option #1.

Hope you don't go on a gnarly downswing.

Show up, collect money, go home.

Please see the winrate and bankroll containment thread. A link is in the stickies.

Locked.