Bankroll - where are you coming from?

drewjustdrew · #1 03-23-2006, 02:47 PM

In the FAQ, it provides accepted bankroll guidelines. I am wondering from what view this is appropriate? Is it the bankroll required for a breakeven player to never go bankrupt? Is it for a pro player who absolutely needs to remain liquid? The requirements seem very large to me.

From the FAQ:

Q: What's the proper bankroll for each limit?

A: General consensus is that a player should keep at least 20 buyins for each limit he's playing. Excluding poor beginner play, bad bankroll management is the biggest reason that new players go bust. Do yourself a favor and only play in games you can afford.

Limit: $0.01/$0.02 | Needed: $40 ($100 on Stars)
Limit: $0.05/$0.10 | Needed: $200
Limit: $0.10/$0.25 | Needed: $500
Limit: $0.25/$0.50 | Needed: $1000
Limit: $0.50/$1.00 | Needed: $2000
Limit: $1.00/$2.00 | Needed: $4000
Limit: $2.00/$4.00 | Needed: $8000

Jamougha · #2 03-23-2006, 02:52 PM

It's quite possible to drop 10 buyins at NL in an alarmingly short space of time if you run bad and/or tilt. Of course, it's possible to make 10 buyins in a pretty short space of time, too. 20 buyins is pretty sensible for a winning player who doesn't want to risk going broke.

BlackRain · #3 03-23-2006, 02:54 PM

Those guidelines are more geared towards the casual player. They provide a relatively safe approach to moving up in the limits. A pro, whose ROR needs to be considerably less than a casual player, should double those numbers at least.

Hince · #4 03-23-2006, 02:57 PM

I keep 30, I've gone broke before and it SUCKSSKSKSKSKSS. I can't afford to go broke now. With a min of 30, if you do lose 5-7 buy-ins it really doesn't bother you as much as it would with 15-20.

Tarheel · #5 03-23-2006, 03:48 PM

From one of your other posts in this NL forum:

[ QUOTE ]
I just started playing 1/2 after playing limit as well. So far it is fairly easy at Party. Stars seems a little tougher. Very limited experience, so consider that in my findings so far. I was playing 30/60 and had a rough 3 sessions, so it was time to switch things up for a while.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats exactly why. Its so 3 rough sessions don't dictate the game you play. The suggested br requirements are for anybody who wants their skill to be me important than variance. GL to you with NL.

drewjustdrew · #6 03-23-2006, 04:33 PM

What made me think about this is that I have been listening to Matusow on the Circuit, and he has completely different requirements. I understand that he doesn't care if he goes broke, but I was just wondering if there were more details behind the suggested requirements. Like:

Is this the requirement that a breakeven player should never approach going broke?

Is this the bankroll that you don't need to ever consider dropping limits because your comfort zone should never be violated? It seems to me if I'm playing 1-2, I would be fine playing any amount above about $500 until I get crushed. At that point, I would drop down to .50-1.00.

Related to Tarheel's post, I did not switch games because I couldn't afford 30/60 anymore, it was more of a frustration factor. For the most part, I have followed the 2P2 suggested BR requirements for Limit, but even then, I jumped up earlier than suggested. Occasionally, I would get chopped down and have to play lower, but eventually, I ran well at the right time and moved into a comfort zone at that limit. Not sure if I would have advanced faster by waiting to take shots or not (thereby avoiding the big chop downs, which were partially variance and partially experience related).

Grunch · #7 03-23-2006, 04:47 PM

There are very few things that I feel comfortable criticizing a well-known pro on. One of them is Matasow's stated bankroll requirements. He said something like 3000 is enough to play 5/10NL. I am totally comfortable saying that he was wrong on that.

If you listen to the entire interview, he also says that he doesn't mind going broke frequently. So there you go. If you like going broke, then 2 or 3 buyins is plenty.

ahnuld · #8 03-23-2006, 04:58 PM

400nl 8000 will get you broke occasionally. I played 6 max 400nl for awhile, 6-8 tabling, and I had a few 5k downswings. O

f course, I had a gross roll, like 25k so it wasnt a big deal, but I really dont think 8k is enough. At least 10,000 and preferably 12,000. Also, I dont think you need more than 10 buyins until you want to move to 100nl where 2000 is a good amount.

drewjustdrew · #9 03-23-2006, 05:03 PM

Does the fact that I am playing only one table change things? It seems to me your added distractions playing 6-8 tables will greatly affect swings.

BlackRain · #10 03-23-2006, 06:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
What made me think about this is that I have been listening to Matusow on the Circuit, and he has completely different requirements.

[/ QUOTE ]

Matusow is a very good poker player with a severe gambling problem. When he talks bankroll management, I heard the show too, you laugh. He is 100% wrong.

I believe he tells one caller to go play 10/20 with 5k. Having 2.5 buyins for any NL cash game is sheer insanity. You cannot even overcome day to day variance with this amount. There are days where you are destined to lose 3 buyins. You will make all the right plays and lose 3 your whole bankroll...