Bankroll management if playing 1/2 (1 Viewer)

[FTJack]

Good afternoon,

I used to play home games only and wanted to try out my skill and luck at casinos. The lowest stakes in my local casino is 1/2 for cashgames.

If I want to take it seriously, how much money should I plan in my bankroll to start my games? I read something like 100 buyins which I personally think is a lot. Can anyone please get me some insights and personal experiences?

 

[CraigT78]

I've found that I need a lot more than 100 buy-ins but maybe you're better at poker than I am.

 

[chippitydoodah]

I go for 1000 big blinds.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

100 buyins is for online multitabling. You won't need anywhere close to that for live recreational play.

I've found that for my local 1/2NL games ($300 max buy-in), a bankroll of 20 buy-ins ($6k) is more than sufficient. Honestly I probably don't even need that much - I'm not a pro and can replenish from regular income if needed, and I've never had a downswing bigger than maybe 10 BI.

It's more for my peace of mind than anything else.

 

[mipevi]

My bankroll management is just making another deposit when it's starting to look low.

 

[soccerdadof3]

As noted in some of the comments above it depends on your personal situation and ability to add to your bankroll from other funds if necessary. I keep my Poker Bankroll completely separate from "Family $$" and have for 40 years. I personally plan on 3 buy-ins per session ($900 -$1,000) and would like to have a minimum reserve of 5 sessions in my bankroll. I typically play $1/$3 at the casino and try to play 1-2 times /month. This has worked for me and while I'm not getting rich, I have managed to maintain a positive balance in my poker fund for 40+ years.

 

[DrStrange]

I found the greatest risk for my poker bankroll is my wife. Second biggest risk is finding new chips to buy on PCF-=- DrStrange

 

[Kam]

Think @soccerdadof3 nailed it.

If you’re not trying to make a living from it, bankroll management for low stakes isn’t a primary concern really and I’d say it’s more about tracking your win/loss.

You want to take 3 buy ins with you so you’re not playing as scared money (folk will exploit you if you’re not topping off/rebuying) - but you also want to know if you’re tracking up or down over time. Then it just becomes a question of is it worth it if you’re a negative ‘losing’ player but you get hours of enjoyment out of it and it’s ’affordable’ entertainment.

GL

 

[Josh Kifer]

I'm not a pro and can replenish from regular income if needed

 

[FTJack]

Thank you so much for all your insights, I appreciate it!

 

[toothpic]

Think @soccerdadof3 nailed it.

If you’re not trying to make a living from it, bankroll management for low stakes isn’t a primary concern really and I’d say it’s more about tracking your win/loss.

You want to take 3 buy ins with you so you’re not playing as scared money (folk will exploit you if you’re not topping off/rebuying) - but you also want to know if you’re tracking up or down over time. Then it just becomes a question of is it worth it if you’re a negative ‘losing’ player but you get hours of enjoyment out of it and it’s ’affordable’ entertainment.

GL

I've sometimes toyed with this thought that if you don't buy the max you get targeted. Our local card rooms allow for deep buy ins for 1/2 where it's 500 max. I'm all about letting them target me if they want to I don't think I risk being recognized as a regular since I'm mostly a home game player, but the thought is that they may call you off lighter for your stack if they think you're a newb.

 

[LotsOfChips]

I'm not a pro and can replenish from regular income if needed

My bankroll management is just making another deposit when it's starting to look low.

it depends on your personal situation and ability to add to your bankroll from other funds if necessary.

If you’re not trying to make a living from it, bankroll management for low stakes isn’t a primary concern really and I’d say it’s more about tracking your win/loss.

Most of the recommendations about bankroll management in books and online are (IMO) geared towards people who want to play poker on a professional basis. In that case, yes, you should have a dedicated bankroll, and be able to survive on that for an extended down swing.

If you are playing poker recreationally, and you are able to replenish your disposable poker fund regularly from your main source of income, then a bankroll of (n) x Buyins isn't the biggest concern (IMO). More important (again IMO) is knowing how much you can afford to lose on a weekly/monthly basis, and tracking your wins/losses so that you stay within that range. Tracking your wins/losses also helps you to identify whether you need to make changes to your game to plug leaks (yet again IMO).

 

[eveamu1]

Depends on how aggressive you want to be with BRM, if you are pro or not and your edge. It depends on your answers to those questions. For 1/2, i would say you dont need more than 5k if you crush the games.

 

[theedegen]

Good afternoon,

I used to play home games only and wanted to try out my skill and luck at casinos. The lowest stakes in my local casino is 1/2 for cashgames.

If I want to take it seriously, how much money should I plan in my bankroll to start my games? I read something like 100 buyins which I personally think is a lot. Can anyone please get me some insights and personal experiences?

If you're fairly inexperienced just bring two max buyins. Which for 1/2 I would assume is around $600 in most places.

Ofc if you're a solid/experienced player you should bring more than that to rebuy if you get unlucky quick, but from personal experience when I was new, I would be too tilted if I lost two buyins quickly in a night.


Bankroll management is only really relevant if you're trying to make a living doing it. You can just replenish your roll from your job if you're playing 1/2 and slowly build it up if you think you have an edge.