I've been playing poker recreationally for a year now, and I really enjoy the game. Most of the time, I have been playing the $130 MTT at my local card house 2-3 Saturdays/month. It's the cheapest tournament where the structure isn't a complete crapshoot in my area. So at this rate, if I didn't cash in any the whole year, I basically need a bankroll of $5000/year max, which I can afford thanks to my full-time job.

My eventual goal tho is to play MTTs up to $500. I want to play in WSOP Giant and Colossus eventually and have those buy-ins paid for from my poker bankroll.

So by that logic a MTT bankroll for $500 buy-ins should be like $100,000(!) from the articles I'm reading on proper bankroll management. I do want to become a winning player (lol) and eventually have poker pay for poker.

If I want to put in, say 2-3 hours a day, whole days on weekends, into poker, what kind of game should I play to build this bankroll?

Now, I have no preconceptions about being a winning player, having an amazing 15bb/hr win rate, and or just transforming into Daniel Negreanu overnight to build this bankroll. I just want to get some advice from players that have built up a bankroll from nothing with what game they started and how long it took.

I see my options as:

1) Allocate more money from primary income into current $5000 bankroll and play more live tournaments
2) Allocate some money from bankroll for live cash games and start learning 1/2 NLH or even at the very bottom with 1/3 limit. I assume this would require in the $2000-$4000 range.
3) Allocate some money from bankroll for online MTTs and play $1-$5MTTs and work your way up stakes.
4) Allocate some money from bankroll for online full-ring cash games and play $0.05/$0.10 and work your way up
5) Allocate some money from bankroll for online heads-up cash games and play from lowest stakes and work up

Right now I'm leaning on #4. Cash games have less variance than MTTs so even with a small edge at micro stakes, one can slowly build both his game and his bankroll.

And before everyone says "play what you enjoy the best or are the best at", I don't feel right now I can definitely say that with 1 type of poker. That's why I'm asking for advice on what people that have built bankrolls have preferred, and I definitely understand that what I first try might not work out for me (might have to try them all even).

Thanks to those who reply in advance!

those articles are wrong, you need way more than 200 avarage buy in for mtts, so it is closer to 500k$ (1000 avarage buy ins). However, those requirements are for pros. Since you dont play the game for a living, you dont need a bankroll, you need a budget. Just spend whatever you can comfortably afford losing on buyins and worry about strategy instead.

I've always heard rule of thumb on MTTs is min of 100-200 buy-ins.

1. This one is totally up to you. If you have the disposable income and time, go for it.

2. I would go this route but I am primarily a cash game player. Rule of thumb is 30 max buy-ins. But again, you have an income so you just replenish as needed. Live NLHE is the best money maker IMO for building a roll. Take a couple of buy-ins and see how you do.

3. This is a good option as well. $200 deposited gives you 200 buy-ins for $1 MTTs. Lots of cheap practice.

4. I would use online NLHE for practice [to beat live games] only. Play online is much tougher than live. A 10NL game online plays a tougher than a 1/2 NL live game. You will probably max at 4BB/100 if you are good and it takes a long time to make money at that rate.

5. My HU play is limited, but I don't think this is a path to quick/easy money based on what I have seen.


Good luck.