The Bankroll is key?

Socialpro29

Socialpro29

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Total posts
114
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I just read a blog post recently about the difference between a rec. player and a pro is the size of their bankroll. I commented on this blog in agreement that it is one factor of the rec. vs pro argument but went on to say that there is so much more to it then just the BR sizes.

I have had more time to think about it now and wanted to talk about my thoughts a little more especially for those new to the game with "big dreams" of becoming a proffessional poker player.

I had said that although the BR is a factor it is not the biggest factor when seperating the two. I think I may have been a little off with that statement. The reason I say this is if you compare apples to apples, i.e. the amount of work put in off the table studying the game, their knowledge of the importance ICM, EV, chipEV, positional advantage, table dynamics, player tendencies, etc, and last but not least their skill/ability to use all this information at table regardless of it being CASH, SNG, or MTTs. If all of these factors are equal then the size of the BR is the biggest factor that seperates a rec from a pro. There is a large group of poker players who love the game and put alot of their time into being the best that they can be but have never had a big score that has allowed them become pro or at the very least play higher stakes where it is possible to make an hourly rate that can sustain providing for a family.

All the strategic material you watch, read, and study will tell you that poker is about the long term and that in the short term variance (luck) plays a key roll hence the reason for BR management is to lessen the chance of you going broke. But any person that has played a substantial amount of poker knows that if you only have X amount of dollars to start with and are on the downside of variance or having a tilting/spewy session, poof there goes the roll. This can happen even if you are following solid BRM guidelines for yourself.

The pros on the other hand have been lucky enough to be able to hit a big score maybe even several in certain pros carreers and this has given them the amount of money needed to sustain a prof. poker career. Others have proven their poker skills and have backers with very deep pockets backing them as an investment as if it were the stock market. These are also the "pros" that the poker world will glamourize and market because it attracts more people to the game with visions of granduer. They do not show you the otherside and the degenerates that are skilled at the game and still have gone flatbroke for a myriad of different reasons.

I love poker. I am very competitive and I enjoy putting my brain to the test. Poker satisfies both of these for me, it is extremely competitive while also mentally challenging. I have been a losing player for the most part even with the studying and focus I have put into it. I am confident that this will change eventually as I have improved drastically from my beginings as a poker "junkie." This is also what made me put more thought into this topic because I do pretty well in the micros and frequently make deep runs in the micro tourneys but when I take shots at the higher stakes I dont seem to do well even when playing my best and because of the short term variance I have never had a big score nor do I have the BR to continue to play these higher stakes tourneys to increase the probability of taking one down. If I tried and didnt have any sucess my BR would disappear in a split second. So I will continue to grind abd play my best and with a little bit of luck meeting preperation I will take down a significant score of my own.
 
Bankroll Building - Bankroll Management
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