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Poker Bankroll Management

Poker bankroll is the amount of money a player sets aside to play poker games and tournaments. Players usually set aside recreational or luxury funds to play poker online rather than taking a chunk out of their income.

For example, when you play poker online, you create an account with an online online poker site where you can add money to play cash games and tournaments of poker. So, the exact amount that reflects in your online poker account is referred to as your poker bankroll, the amount that is readily available to play poker online.

Players must strictly exercise Bankroll Management in Poker tournaments with utmost discipline in order to stay afloat and prevent major losses. Your poker bankroll should remain as a parallel means of making extra money from your game so that it doesn't affect your core income.

Bankroll management in online games like poker is a key component of game planning and strategy that every player needs to focus on to stay in it for the long haul. Your online poker bankroll is the backbone for all games you are going to play which is why you need to keep it rock solid by calculating your spends and making smart decisions when choosing your games.

So, how does one go about it?

Bankroll management in poker tournaments is the key to becoming a winning player in online poker. Below, we shall talk about some key poker bankroll management tips that can help you ramp your bankroll management skills.

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Free Online Poker Bankroll Management Tips

PokerBaazi offers players some unique opportunities to build poker bankroll for the cheapest cost and in some cases, for zero cost. We suggest you go through this last section thoroughly so that you can inflate your online poker bankroll without putting in those extra bucks.

Start with Zero Deposit

This is exclusively for beginners who are just getting started in online poker games and still learning the tricks of the trade. Forget about deposit poker bonuses and what not.

Play poker free entry tournaments (FETs) at PokerBaazi without risking a dime from your pocket and earn free bonus money in every game. The bonus money is called Real Chip Bonus (RCB) and you can use them to play cash games on our app for free. A great way to build a free poker bankroll.

The FETS run live almost round the clock and players can win RCB from a monthly prize pool of 35LAC. You can play them every hour from 11 AM till midnight. FETs translate into unlimited opportunities in a month wherein you can collect big winnings and use them to play poker cash games across several variations: Texas Hold’em poker, Omaha poker, and Open Face Chinese poker without spending any real money from your poker bankroll.

Perhaps, the even better feature of the FETs is that you can earn and learn at the same time in a risk free zone. So, we strongly suggest all beginners to give them a shot and enjoy the opportunity to strengthen your game in a level-headed field.

Treat It as an Investment

At any point you decide to play real money games like Poker for real money, you get to treat your online poker bankroll as an investment that offers the breathing space to double up itself as you keep playing with time. Players are not supposed to withdraw any amount for sundry purposes or for paying bills from their poker bankrolls.

The idea is to treat your online poker bankroll as exclusive with the sole aim of using it to play poker and nothing else. If you play poker with the thought that you can reload your bankroll anytime you run out, chances are you will be stuck in this loop forever and hardly make any progress.

On the contrary, if you play a disciplined game by valuing every decision you make at the table, you can grow your bankroll from your initial sum itself and you will seldom need to invest any fresh amount of money unless you hit any major losses in a poker tournament.

Game Selection is Key in Poker Bankroll Management

A lot depends on the stakes around which you pick your tournaments and cash games. The simplest way to practice efficient poker bankroll management is to set an upper limit on the stakes you choose to play. This way, you never play for more than you can afford to lose. On the off chance one of those semi-bluffs goes wrong, you still have enough to keep playing. On events you encounter a big loss, move down in stakes for a while until you accumulate enough.

To add to that, when you play online poker tournaments, always calculate the buy-in as opposed to the returns you are going to get. You should never make the mistake of committing a huge chunk or your entire poker bankroll in a single tournament with the hope of winning big overnight.

Rather than going for a big tourney at once, it would be wiser if you choose four different tournaments that cost you the same buy-in. It will offer 4 shots at winning against one. It is also a great way to improve your win rate. Multi table tournaments for smaller buy-ins are a great option to make more money rather than applying a larger bankroll in a big event.

If at all, you wish to take part in a big game, look for cheaper options that can get you a spot at the table. Satellites are a great option to go for in this case. They are qualifying tournaments that promise you free seats to the big event at a fraction of the original cost.

Game variant is something you should consider in your bankroll management strategy. For instance, Omaha poker game face higher variance than since the action shoots up due to the presence of four hole cards instead of two. Hence, the bets are higher and the downswings are gut-wrenching! So, you have to manage and plan your funds according to the game.

Move Down In Stakes When Necessary

Another poker bankroll management strategy is to go down in stakes when necessary. This is a practice often followed by the pros whenever they face a hit in a recent game. Never lose patience or act in revenge mode when you face bad beats or dead cards in a row. You have to act with a sound mind and take a pause when needed. Go down in stakes if you don't get the desired results.

Wins and losses are part of the poker game and you need to take them with equal spirit. Easier said than done, but this way you maintain discipline and save yourself from making rash decisions on the table and going completely broke. Never jump for higher stakes with the intention to make quick money or cover up your losses. It seldom works out in poker.

Takeaway Thoughts

Efficient poker bankroll management helps you stay alive in the race but also gives a player the confidence he or she needs to play fearless poker. You need to have sufficient funds in your online account if you wish to play with aggression and make those font-weight-bold bets when the situation calls for it. Not to mention, poker is an online game inbuilt with variance. That means you need to have enough funds and to back you up when you face the swings.

On this note, we hope you make the right choices and click the right buttons when managing your bankroll and start playing your best game today. If you are just getting started with cash games, use our deposit bonuses to double your bankroll and opt for micro stakes to play some smart poker.

What Poker Shark LUXURYFTR (@fma_fahmin) Says?

♣ How do you determine an appropriate bankroll size for the stakes you play in poker?
        When determining an appropriate bankroll size for the stakes I play in poker, I consider the concept of bankroll management. Generally, a common guideline is to have at least 20 to 30 buy-ins for the specific stake level I'm playing. This helps ensure I have a buffer to withstand short-term losses without risking going broke.

♠ How do you decide when it's time to move up in stakes based on the growth of your bankroll?
        Deciding when to move up in stakes is typically based on the growth of my bankroll and my long-term performance. As a rule of thumb, I might consider moving up when my bankroll reaches 30 to 40 buy-ins for the higher stakes. However, I also evaluate my win rate and overall skill level to ensure I'm ready for the tougher competition at the next level.

♦ Do you take any precautions to protect your bankroll from potential downswings or bad beats?
        To protect my bankroll from potential downswings or bad beats, I implement several precautions. These include setting stop-loss limits, not playing with more than a certain percentage of my bankroll in a single session, and avoiding emotional decisions after losing sessions. Additionally, I constantly review and adjust my bankroll management strategy to adapt to changing circumstances in the game.

Poker Bankroll Management FAQs

Q. How to manage your poker bankroll?
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Managing your online poker bankroll requires a fair amount of discipline and strategy by the poker player. Although, a few tips shall definitely come in handy.

  • Select your game type carefully. Go for the variation that you play really well.
  • Start from the lowest stakes and avoid jumping stakes to make quick money.
  • Set aside your online poker bankroll and keep it strictly for playing poker, nothing else.
  • Move down in stakes if you encounter a big loss
  • Be patient and play consistent and smart Poker.
Q. How much money should I have in my poker bankroll
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  • Stick to 50-100 buy-ins when you play at the cash tables. For instance, if youare playing INR 50 No Limit Hold'em, you need a 2,500 to 4,000 Rupees poker bankroll. You may have to increase this amount if you are playing niche poker tournaments with experienced players.
  • Tournaments work differently and income is huge but not consistent. 100-200 buy-ins is a decent amount to play MTTS.
Q. How to build a poker bankroll?
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  • Start with freerolls tournaments on PokerBaazi.
  • Play to learn and earn real cash bonus chips (RCB).
  • Use these RCB winnings to play at the cash tables across stakes for free.
  • Play for micro to low stakes and work your way up with experience.
  • Earn real money from scratch simply through your skills.
  • Once you have a decent bankroll, keep it separate and avoid withdrawing it for other expenses.
  • Play satellites and win free tickets to bigger events.
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