You will never be a profitable and successful poker player if you do not handle your bankroll with care. Putting money into your account and hoping for the best is not enough, you need to track your wins/losses and what games/limits you are doing well at.
Once you have established a good base of bankroll management, you can proceed to focus on increasing the amount you play with, which on top of providing financial security will also allow you to buy into bigger cash games and tournaments.
Here are three steps towards building a bigger bankroll.
1. Focus on Weaker Players: Eat the Fish
When money is on the line, you cannot feel bad for picking on weaker players at the table. Rest assured, the veterans that you played against when you first started out did the same to you.
Newer, inexperienced players, make poor decisions and are far more susceptible to the tricks of the trade that will relieve them of chips; value betting, trapping, etc. The fish at the table should be easy to spot and if you find yourself at a table full of strong opponents do not hesitate to switch to another room.
2. Build the Pot
It is much easier to win a handful of large pots than to grind your way through numerous smaller ones. There are lots of players that are content to win a pot, no matter how much money is in it, but that is a terrible way of looking at it.
When you have a strong hand that you are confident with, you need to do everything you can to extract as many chips as possible from the other players. Do not be friendly and check on the river if you think they would call a value bet. Drain them dry.
3. Know Your Limits
Sometimes the best way to earn more money is to stop yourself from losing it. If you are having a bad session, but continue to gamble, you can end up giving away way more chips than you should.
By only risking a set amount of your bankroll at any given time you limit your potential losses, which in turn allows you to take a step back, evaluate your game and start the next session refreshed and with a new supply of chips.
Key Points
• Learn the basics of bankroll management.
• Focus on the weaker players, while staying away from the sharks.
• Get the maximum amount of profit from every hand.
• Impose personal limits that prevent you overextending your bankroll.
Chris
- Chris Laquinta is a magazine editor, content specialist and poker fanatic with 10+ years writing experience and over 1,500 published articles. Chris is a naitive of Southern California, where he spent his entire life learning gaming concepts and theories from relatives that had been former professional gamblers. He currently resides in Torrance, CA where he works as a professional content writer and part-time SNG professional.
