How to Manage Your Bankroll When Playing Texas Hold'em Online
An important strategy for becoming a successful Texas Hold'em player is managing bankroll efficiently. Without applying appropriate money management strategies, even the most skilled players can go broke. One of the crucial steps in bankroll management is betting within certain limits. This prevents you from losing your entire chip stack in case you have a bad run of cards. Playing within limits is also referred to as 'playing within your bankroll'. In case you play at higher limits, you can face big losses if your hand gets beat.
Bankroll management is essential in Texas Hold'em as ups and downs are quite common in the game. A player may have a powerful hand at a time and can be on a losing streak at another point. There can be times when you face losses consistently. It may not be because you played badly but due to a bad run of cards. To deal with such situations, you should have enough cash in your bankroll. Here are some tips to help you manage your bankroll when playing Texas Hold'em poker.
Choose a Game According to Your Bankroll
In case you play no limit or pot limit poker, your bankroll should be ideally at least 20x the buy-in amount. For example, if you want to play a $1/$2 game with a maximum buy-in of $200, your bankroll should be at least $4000. So, it's best not to opt for the game in case your bankroll is less that $4000. Another way to manage money in no limit and pot limit games is, putting only 5% of your bankroll at a table. In case of limit Hold'em, you should ideally have at least 300 Big Bets for a particular limit. For example, to play a $1/$2 limit Hold'em game, your bankroll should be at least $600.
Opt for a Tournament Suitable for your Bankroll
Those, interested in playing Texas Hold'em tournaments, should have a bankroll that is ideally 25 times the buy-in amount in case of Sit n Gos. In multi-table tournaments, the field can be of 5,000 players. For these tournaments, your bankroll should be ideally 60-100 times the buy-in amount. Even the most skilled players are able to cash-in only 15% in such tourneys. However, in case you win a multi-table tournament, you can increase your bankroll significantly.
Choose Games According to Your Playing Style
The games and tournaments that you should opt for also depend on your playing style. There are four types of playing styles – Tight, Aggressive, Passive and Loose. A tight player plays fewer hands than a loose player. He takes part in only those hands which offer good winning chances. This allows him to play with a small bankroll. A loose player plays a wide variety of hands, including both weak and strong hands. He will require a large bankroll that will allow him to accommodate the losses he is likely to face when playing weak hands. An aggressive player too will need a large bankroll as he makes bets and raises frequently. On the other hand, because a passive player checks or calls mostly, he can play even with a small bankroll.
Change Levels According to Your Bankroll
If you are new to Texas Hold'em, it is best to start with playing low limit games. For instance, you should start with playing games with $1 + $0.10 buy-in. Such games don't allow you to bet beyond a certain limit. So, chances of facing a big loss are less in case you lose a game. However, you don't have to stick to low limit games always. You can change the game levels once you start making enough wins. You can opt for high limit games at this stage.
Few More Points to Consider
When playing at short-handed tables, the degree of variance is more compared to full ring games. In these games, you may have to take advantage of your opponents' weaknesses more than banking on your cards. So, it is best to increase your bankroll considerably before playing at such tables.
Tournaments that run according to a re-buy format allow you to re-enter after being busted out once. However, it is not advisable to put money in buying extra chips when your opponents are more skilled than you.