Managing your online poker bankroll is the most important thing to manage if your goal is to make money consistently, over an extended period of time.
Your bankroll will dictate which game limits you can play. I’ve broken it down to two types of players, cash game (ring game) players and sit and go players.
The examples below are based on Texas Hold’em. Other games like Draw and Stud will require even more of a bankroll when compared to Limit Hold’em because there are more betting rounds with these types of games. So our examples will relate to Texas Hold’em.
Keep in mind that the numbers below are approximate and there are many variables that can change the numbers below to be higher or lower. Also, the numbers below are for a bankroll for the long term.
If you just want to sit down and play a round of poker then all you’ll need minimum is 20 X Big Bet (Big Blind).
Cash Game Players
Limit Hold’em for a Loose Player (sees a lot of flops) – 300 X Big Bet (Big Blind)
Examples:
$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $12.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $30.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $60.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $150.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $600.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $6,000.00
Limit Hold’em for a Tight Player – 200 X Big Bet (Big Blind)
Examples:
$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $8.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $20.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $40.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $100.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $400.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $4,000.00
No-Limit Hold’em for a Loose Player (sees a lot of flops) – 900 X Big Bet (Big Blind)
Examples:
$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $36.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $90.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $180.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $450.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $1,800.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $18,000.00
No-Limit Hold’em for a Tight Player – 600 X Big Bet (Big Blind)
Examples:
$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $24.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $60.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $120.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $300.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $1,200.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $12,000.00
Sit & Go Games
For sit and go’s I have found that the formula that works well for me is to play sit and go’s that are no more than 5% of my bankroll.
So if I play a $5.50 single table sit and go I would need to have a bankroll of at least $110.00.
This percent works well for me. My ROI is at 40% when I play the $10.00 + $1 sit and go’s. So what this means is that for every $11.00 I put into a game I will profit $4.40 on average.
To keep your sit and go playing percentage at 5% you will need a ROI (return on investment) that remains positive, e.g. 1% and higher. If you find your games to be less than profitable you will need to go down in the sit and go buy-in amounts.
Another very important thing to mention is whether you will be cashing out on a regular basis or increasing your table limit games.
If you want to cash out on a regular basis, say once a week or once a month, then all you do is cash out anything above your required bankroll. So if you play $1.00/2.00 cash games and your bankroll needs to be at minimum $1,200.00 then anything over that amount you can cash out.
Same goes for sit and go’s. If you play sit and go games at $5.50 with a suggested bankroll of $110.00, then anything over that amount you just cash out. Simple.
Now, if you want to elevate your game and delve into higher limit cash games or sit and go’s then you may not want to cash out and you’ll want to build your bankroll until you reach the required amount to go into higher limit games.
You could also do a hybrid approach; cash out a small percentage of your bankroll when its above your minimum bankroll requirements and this way you get paid and your bankroll will grow to allow you to play higher limits later on.
I hope this gives you an idea of what is required to maintain a poker bankroll. Please keep in mind that these numbers that I threw your way are only approximate and the actual amount needed in your bankroll will be ultimately decided by your play and many other variables.
Here is a free bankroll spreadsheet that you can download (it includes examples). I never used it, so let me know if it’s any good. If not I’ll be posting a few good ones in the Links/recourses later on after I do some research. I use my own poker spread sheet and one day I will take the time to make it available on this Blog for all of you to use.
One last thing, you’ll notice that I didn’t talk about multi-table tournament (MTT) bankroll management here. This is so completely different that I will save this discussion for another day, soon.
So remember, long-term poker success requires good bankroll management!
Cheers
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