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Originally Posted by kinghyrule
Also I would like to mention your "Emotional Bankroll". How much % of your bankroll do you have to lose before it really starts to affect you emotionally?
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Mainly I think your bankroll should be at whatever level it needs to be for you to be relatively comfortable losing.
Yes, this is what I touch on at the very end of my article, that once you know the math and understand the perturbations and implications, your gut will be a useful guide in determining your level of play.
You've got $500 so start at 25nl, sure, OK. A TRUE beginner (who studies the game and understands the math) will likely soon realize "this is ridiculous, I could go broke so easily! I'm dropping to 5nl until I have my sea legs." Someone for whom $500 is every cent they have in the world might feel 4% is too much RoR and drop down. And conversely an experienced, proven winning player who is short rolled might think "this is going to take forever, I'm starting at 50nl." They would all be right in doing what
feels right, in following their emotional bankroll.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bostik
So the question boils down to this: how many buy-in size hits can I take and still feel comfortable playing? That is the real low water mark when considering the number of required buy-ins for any given level. At some point the very fear of having to move down, even when it's the right thing to do, will cripple our game.
Very true. No matter the stakes, its important to be able to bring your A game. If you're so short rolled that you're playing scared money, or so over rolled that you're messing around and dropping buyins like water, you're not practicing good banrkroll management because you're setting yourself up to fail. It
is important to play where you are comfortable.
This can be a problem at times. Take a college grinder, doing a workstudy job for $7 an hour with few expenses. They save up $600 in a month and deposit it and jump in. They
feel they can't play their best, can't bring their 'A' game, unless the money "means something", so they jump right into 200nl. For this person, and many others, their gut is misleading them. First, it shows a basic misunderstanding of the math because it should be patently obvious that even Durrrr would go busto quickly if he played on a 3 buyin roll. But further, I question their ability to bring their 'A' game to the table when their entire net worth is on the table at one time.
I'm not advocating "do what you feel is best" with no strings attached; it requires mindfulness. Your self assessment must be valid and accurate, your estimation of game quality must be realistic, and your finances must be understood. Without a discerning and critical eye, following your emotions can be problematic.
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Sample Size != Effective Sample Size
Haha! I noticed this very dramatically when I took the 100vpip challenge. I played less than 2000 hands, but entering 95% of pots I believe my results were as significant as a 10,000 hand sample from a TAG. Food for thought.