Need a little help with bankroll management

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ryanshire94

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For the past couple of weeks i have just been playing for fun and for practice to help me become a better player, i deposited £10($15-$16) on pokerstars and decided that i would just play until i lose the money because i wasn't bothered about losing just a tenner. I was playing at the 0.08/0.16c NLHE to start off with mainly because i couldn't be bothered playing the lower limits and being patient waiting for playable hands against the fish etc since i was just playing for fun.

I managed to get my balance up to $25 so i decided to move up to the .10/.25c level since i was still not bothered about losing the money which i expected to happen with just one buy in in that level haha. To my surprise, i have managed to get my balance to $125 now and i have decided that after a $100 or so profit (about £60 or so) i don't want to risk losing all that money since that would just be a bit stupid haha.

So what level should i be playing at with $125 in my balance? I don't want to play just for fun and to pass the time anymore, i've decided i want to try and make even more money as i possibly can. This is for cash games just so you know, i don't have a clue about what online tournaments on pokerstars are good to play etc. I prefer cash games anyway, but if anyone knows a good way to make money from any sort of tournaments let me know as well, thanks.
 
dj11

dj11

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Absolute BRM has you playing 4 nl (.02/.04). You have been short stacking, and some around here want you to feel guilty. Short Stacking is, by definition, any time you buy into a game for less than 100 BB.

Sounds like you are running hot. Continue doing whatever it is you are doing until you drop a solid 10%. Then lean back and re-evaluate. But understand you have not been playing anything most would consider a decent BRM, not even an aggressive BRM.

Be prepared for a cooler or 20......
 
fletchdad

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Well, you could play .02 /.05, its kinda on the border, but if you drop down to 100 you can always go down in stakes. its easy to have a bad run and lose 3-4-5 BI, and losing 10 or more can happen as well, even if you are playing ok. So 2/5 would be the highest I would suggest.

Some people play with 10 BI, but you have to be ready for the swings.
 
micromachine

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Depends how risk averse you are, as long as you are disciplined enough to move down as necessary then 25bi is plenty so...

2nl - $0 - $125
5nl - $125 - $250
10nl - $250 - $400
16nl - $400 - $750
25nl - $750+
 
Utrix2

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For me, you buy in at 100 BB, and then need 10-20 buyins in the bank, however I do know people who move up the stakes when they have 10 buyins for the next level and move back down if they drop below 8.
 
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ryanshire94

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Thanks very much everyone. I think i will move down to 0.02/0.05c level since there isn't a 0.02/0.04 level haha. Just need to adapt the way i play now, have to be much more patient at these levels and don't try and bluff as much as i do at the higher levels lol.
 
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ryanshire94

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i have decided to take dj11s advice and keep doing what i am doing right now (which is 0.10/0.25c level) until i lose 10% of my bankroll then i will go down to the proper level for bankroll management. I just won another $25 after flopping a full house with pocket deuces against a flush so my bankroll atm is $140, so once (or if) i lose $14 i will start doing proper bankroll management :D but of course, if i keep running good i might not have to, fingers crossed eh? :p haha
 
runnerx289

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sounds like your on a hot streak try 50/50 sngs at like $3.50, they are pretty variant but if you know what your doing they are great BR builders
 
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dathomie

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If you're playing for practice you shouldn't feel like playing at the lower limits is punishment. I guess it really depends on the type of person you are. Do you want to be a disciplined/patient poker or someone who doesn't really care about losing it all? I think there is something to learned by playing only what your bankroll allows you to. It will probably save you a lot more in the long run by cementing fundamentals for cheap. Having proper bankroll management is recommended by the pros for a reason. I hate to divert the attention away from this website but I don't feel like reinventing the wheel so here's an article on bankroll management: http://www.thepokerbank.com/strategy/basic/bankroll-management/

And if it's any inspiration to you Chris Ferguson back in the day started a new account and didn't deposit any money. He only played freerolls to get started and once he reached around $50 employed bankroll management from that article I linked above and turned his 0 into 10,000 in something like a year and a half or so. The reason you use bankroll management is so you don't go busto. Keep reading and good luck.
 
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ryanshire94

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Thanks dathomie, i will have a look at that article :)
 
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ChiTheoK0To

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$25, just play fixlimit or you should play some small SnG
I recommend fix limit holdem they are ease to play
 
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If you think about what you wrote "just play til I lose the money" that to me is as big a leak in a game and detrimental to proper BRM as any number out there.

Well done on your wins , never give in , strive to win at any level no matter what the circumstance.

I have built a moderate roll twice now from zero and it can be tough to give attention to the small numbers in the beginning , that said it is fun to climb the hill when looking back on it (warm fuzzy feeling inside).
 
Demonomania

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I'd suggest exactly what you said you're going to do, aside from waiting until you've lost 10% of your roll. I'd move to 5nl and play ABC w/ absolutely NO bluffing.
You'll have enough BIs to withstand some of the calling stations that may annoyingly take down pots with random garbage.

Just be patient and build. gl
 
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ryanshire94

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Well my bankroll is now $160 since i won a $1 mtt a couple of days ago. I think i will move down to 5nl now and try and build it more bit by bit. It will be less fun than before but my target is make more money now, not to just play for fun and practice. Wish me luck on the 5nl tables, does anyone think multi-tabling is a good idea and if so, how many tables should i do?
 
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ryanshire94

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up to $215 now, i tried multi-tabling but it didn't really work out for me, was difficult playing my proper game with 3 tables open all at once lol, was making some calls and folds i wouldn't have made if i was just playing on one table. Any advice for multi-tabling? Only asking since its 5NL im playing at, it is really difficult to make a decent amount of money in a few hours on one table lol. I prefer playing the higher limits (0.10/0.25) since it is just more fun and gives me a better buzz, and obviously the pots are bigger which means i can win bigger, i've been tempted to go back to playing there but i've managed to control myself so far haha. I think if i got used to multi-tabling at the 5NL levels i will definitely not feel the urge to go play at the higher limits, so please anyone with one small bit of advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
 
Demonomania

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I'd move up to 10nl since you have just over twenty buy-ins. If you feel comfortable playing higher stakes, then do so..
but never forget that you're also choosing to risk a large unnecessary amount of your roll.

As for multi-tabling, I'd opt out unless you're using a HUD.
If you're already noticing incorrect plays in your game, then it's probably best you slowly choose to play more tables (if at all).

Great job on building so far! & gl
 
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ryanshire94

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Are you sure 20BIs are enough? I think i will do that, move up to 10NL and see how i get on. Is there much difference between 5NL and 10NL?
Oh yeah, and what is a HUD?
 
micromachine

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Are you sure 20BIs are enough? I think i will do that, move up to 10NL and see how i get on. Is there much difference between 5NL and 10NL?
Oh yeah, and what is a HUD?

20BI is OK as long as you are disciplined enough to move back down if you lose a few.

HUD = heads up display. Programs like Pokertracker and Holdem manager build a database of all the hands you play and allow you to display a little box of statistics (the HUD) about each player on the tables while you are playing, which can help you make decisions. Most people at 10nl will be using one of these programs.
 
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ryanshire94

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Are they free to use? Sounds good though.
 
bezobrazny

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Ryan I applaud your game. You should not listen guys who are advising you to play by the BM book. Seems like you are natural talent, aggressive modern player. Only bankroll management you have to keep in mind is your stack management directly applied on the playing table and in a short time you will multiple your money. I would said good luck, but you don't need it..
 
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ryanshire94

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I wouldn't say that just yet bezobrazny lol, i'm only 18 and have just been playing since june or so, i still have a lot to learn but i'm definitely commited to it haha. Maybe in a few years time when i'm more experienced i can start playing higher stakes, play more online and live tournys etc but for now i am just concentrating on improving my game and obviously any money i make, no matter how small is always a bonus.
 
micromachine

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Are they free to use? Sounds good though.

They both have free trials for I think 60 days. If you are going to take poker seriously and play a fair bit then PT or HEM is a very worthwhile investment. Can buy the microstakes version (for 25nl and under) for about $50.
 
Bankroll Building - Bankroll Management
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