Are Small Bankrolls Even Worth It??

[ianlippert]

[ QUOTE ]
Bear in mind that the typical brick-and-mortar $2-$5 NLHE game is a lot easier to beat than the equivalent-sized game online.

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends on the rake structure. I've only played 2/4NL live once and it felt like the $12/hr was a little high. My friend later went back and calculated it to be something like 5-8 PTBB/100. I dont think I would plan on being a live NL player unless I was playing 5/10.

[2461Badugi]

[ QUOTE ]

(I say this over and over again, and no one seems to notice: A cash flow of $25 per week in disposable income is the equivalent of a bankroll of $25,000 cash on hand.)

[/ QUOTE ]

So as long as someone has $25/wk to blow, he should be comfortable in a 25/50 limit game?

[AlanBostick]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

(I say this over and over again, and no one seems to notice: A cash flow of $25 per week in disposable income is the equivalent of a bankroll of $25,000 cash on hand.)

[/ QUOTE ]

So as long as someone has $25/wk to blow, he should be comfortable in a 25/50 limit game?

[/ QUOTE ]

If he's a winning player, yes. Going busto is not a catastrophe when one knows that one's bankroll replaces itself.

[Nottom]

If losing your BR wouldn't be a big deal and you can easily replace it, then play as big as you want. BR management is way overrated on here for people who play poker as a hobby and have other income.

Obviously I'm not advocating taking your $1000 BR and putting it all in a 5/10NL game, but there is nothing wrong with sitting at a $100 or $200 game if losing isn't going to hurt very much. If you would rather play live, then there is nothing wrong with buying into the 2/5 game short and hoping to get lucky. Many of the big names in poker built their BR by trying to push themselves to move up, often going "broke" over and over when they moved up until they finally broke through and succeeded.

[2461Badugi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

So as long as someone has $25/wk to blow, he should be comfortable in a 25/50 limit game?

[/ QUOTE ]

If he's a winning player, yes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please explain how that happens, in detail. Pretend I'm a N00B with $25/wk and give me a plan for playing $25/$50.

[ginko]

I started with 50 about two years and have made +50k, I play a pathetic amount too.

If you cant grind 25NL, you lack the discipline and patience to be a good player. If you play a bunch you can double or triple your bankroll in a month. That means you could be playing .5/1 in 2 months with just a reasonable amount of time invested(2-3 hours a day).

[2461Badugi]

[ QUOTE ]
If losing your BR wouldn't be a big deal and you can easily replace it, then play as big as you want.


[/ QUOTE ]

No -- play as big as you have the money for. This is my issue with Alan's claim; if he had come out and said $25/wk is equivalent to a $1000 bankroll, fine, I'll agree. If you drop 25 BBs, fine, take a week or two off and you're back.

I don't understand how $25/wk can be equivalent to a $25,000 bankroll when you have to wait a year to save up a buyin for a game you could just sit in happily bankrolled with the $25k.

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it even worth it to try to play within my weak bankroll?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.

[ QUOTE ]
...or should I keep trying the go broke or get rich quick method until I do finally get a real manageable bankroll?

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely not.

[ QUOTE ]
...if I am doing the build-up-fast-or-go-broke method, what should I play: $20-40 buyin tournys on stars or just cash games?

[/ QUOTE ]

Cash games.

[AlanBostick]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If losing your BR wouldn't be a big deal and you can easily replace it, then play as big as you want.


[/ QUOTE ]

No -- play as big as you have the money for. This is my issue with Alan's claim; if he had come out and said $25/wk is equivalent to a $1000 bankroll, fine, I'll agree. If you drop 25 BBs, fine, take a week or two off and you're back.

I don't understand how $25/wk can be equivalent to a $25,000 bankroll when you have to wait a year to save up a buyin for a game you could just sit in happily bankrolled with the $25k.

[/ QUOTE ]

One way to do it is to borrow the money for your bankroll, and use the $25/week disposable cash flow to pay off the loan.

[Jeppi]

It is worth it to build you BR yourself from what you already have.

The amount you have to start with is more than decent. Remenber that you have to see money at the table in terms of blinds related to your BR. So it doesn't matter how much money it really is.

When someone plays high stakes, do you think each time he bets he would remind himself : "wow that's the price of a nice car i'm thin value betting here", or "should I bluff at the pot or buy a house with that 300000$"?

So use the same thinking process playing low stakes. Play as close a possible of a buy in being 5% of your BR if you want to move up quickly (it includes moving up and moving down at times).

Poker asks for a lot of practice. You have to experience downswings followed by bad play and deal with them. So I'll rather do that staying a little longer at each level.

Another argument for moving up slowly, is that once you are done with a level, there is very little chance you'll move down because of your roll being too short or your poker developpement not as advanced as you thought( I think that's the worst that could happen to you, at what level would you restart then and with what kind of confidence on your play?).