Holdem bankroll management is the most overlooked part of any poker players strategy to build a bankroll. I will address the fact that most people playing online poker everyday are playing well beyond their limits; as many as 99% of them, in fact. This is despite the advice of long-time poker experts, who suggest that you only buy in at 5% of your total bankroll. If you deposit money in an online poker room, you will see that the minimum deposit is between $10 and $20. If you make a $20 deposit, therefore, you should be playing at $1per buy-in and no more.

Once you find your limits, stay within them. Push beyond your limits now and then to test yourself. If you are ready, go ahead and move up a level. Then stay within the new level until you’re ready for the next one. This method will help to preserve and grow your bankroll and your confidence.

If this sounds ridiculous to you, it could be that you do not make any significant amount of money playing poker online. There will be times, over the long run, when you will experience losing streaks. A bad run of cards can really put your bankroll in a bind. If you have bought into a tournament with more than 5% of you bankroll, you may end up with nothing left.

Let’s look at this in simple terms. If you have a $20 bankroll and play $5 SNG’s, you will be finished after only 4 non-cashing tournaments (like a bad run of cards). If you had played the $1 tournaments instead (maintaining the 5% rule), you would only have lost 20% of your bankroll instead of 100% plus rake. That’s quite a risk if your objective is to build a bankroll and move up to the big leagues.

The difference between playing consistent, winning poker and playing a mediocre game is your holdem bankroll management strategy. Ask yourself ” what is the right level of play for my bankroll? Your answer could make or break you!

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