$50 to $500 Bankroll Challenge

TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Hey all,

I decided to give myself a good challenge that would increase my knowledge of the game and a few extra $$ to my bank account. I'm trying to see if I can increase my starting bankroll of $50 on Bovada to $500. I need some advice on this so honest answers please.

1. Which games should I play (ie. 01/.02 NL or 0.02/.05 NL or 0.05/.10 Limit)
2. How many BBs should I play for each game
3. how many tables should I be playing to achieve this goal
4. Is this an obtainable goal for a beginning poker player like myself and countless others
 
BluffMeAllIn

BluffMeAllIn

4evrInmyheart RIP xoxo :(
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2009
Total posts
11,324
Chips
0
Hey all,

I decided to give myself a good challenge that would increase my knowledge of the game and a few extra $$ to my bank account. I'm trying to see if I can increase my starting bankroll of $50 on Bovada to $500. I need some advice on this so honest answers please.

1. Which games should I play (ie. 01/.02 NL or 0.02/.05 NL or 0.05/.10 Limit)
2. How many BBs should I play for each game
3. how many tables should I be playing to achieve this goal
4. Is this an obtainable goal for a beginning poker player like myself and countless others
Hey Scorp, figure I'll take a shot at your questions.

1. Bovada doesn't have 2nl, so 5nl is as micro as they get for cash games which puts you at only 10 buyins unfortunatly not that great for good BRM.

2. 100bb min always, you could take a ss approach however in the long run it is likely loosing your money if your winning and therefore why such a not so good idea.

3. On bovada you are talking 4 table max, with only 10 bi i wouldn't suggest more than two tables to provide some although still not alot of swing cushion.

4. The goal is certainly obtainable, although may be a difficult start because it is a small starting roll for 5nl and could easily hit a downswing at the beginning and go broke. Which indicates I should restate, it is obtainable for most winning players (as even a winning players could start out hitting a 10bi downswing and be broke), although it will certainly be bumpy at first.

They do have DON's, although the lowest $$ is the 5$+fee so would be giving less than 10 bi for those as well. There are also 3$ triple ups which could be an options, i don't believe they have sng's lower than 3$ or i didn't notice very many in the 1$ variety.

I do wish you luck on the challenge, and keep us posted with how things go, wins difficult spots if you decide to go about cash or sng's, questions on the journy etc. They do have zone which is pretty soft, but bad beats certainly do come (they killed me last time i played there).
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Hey Scorp, figure I'll take a shot at your questions.

Thanks bluff...I need all the support I can get!

1. Bovada doesn't have 2nl, so 5nl is as micro as they get for cash games which puts you at only 10 buyins unfortunatly not that great for good BRM.

So what about .05/.10 limit hold'em? From what I hear, the swings aren't as brutal to you BR.

2. 100bb min always, you could take a ss approach however in the long run it is likely loosing your money if your winning and therefore why such a not so good idea.

So do I need to add another $50 to my starting BR to give myself a little bit more cushion? And stay away from the SnGs for the time being?

3. On bovada you are talking 4 table max, with only 10 bi i wouldn't suggest more than two tables to provide some although still not alot of swing cushion.
Ok...so 2 tables maxium..gotcha

They do have DON's, although the lowest $$ is the 5$+fee so would be giving less than 10 bi for those as well. There are also 3$ triple ups which could be an options, i don't believe they have sng's lower than 3$ or i didn't notice very many in the 1$ variety.
What are DON's?
With my BR being very small right now, I don't have alot of room to switch up the type of games I play. Looks like I'm either going to pluck down another $50 to give me cushion I need to handle the inevitable downswings that are going to occur or play like this is my last bullet with no chance of re-buying.

I do wish you luck on the challenge, and keep us posted with how things go, wins difficult spots if you decide to go about cash or sng's, questions on the journy etc. They do have zone which is pretty soft, but bad beats certainly do come (they killed me last time i played there).

I will definitely keep everyone posted on this as I would suggest every beginning poker player start their journey like this. The plan is twofold, one is to gain knowledge and strategies about the game that I hope will transfer to the live games I play. And second, build up a sizeable BR that can (1) be separated into a BR for cash games and tournaments/SnGs and (2) can be a second income stream.

Like the saying goes, "A dream without a plan is a wish"

Last question, is there a poker tracker or some kind of journal I can use out there that works for Bovada? I downloaded a trial version of Poker Tracker 4 but it does not work with Bovada.
 
Reptar7

Reptar7

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 12, 2012
Total posts
783
Chips
0
I would say:

1). Start at 2NL cash
2). Stick to exactly 20 BI BRM structure. If you are 20 deep at 5nl and lose, just move down to 2nl again. If it was above 25nl, I would say play deeper, but play below 25nl isn't very good and a TAG style will win. I don't see the need to play 100 deep at 2nl. What a waste of time! (note: I did that before)
3). As many tables as you can play profitably
4). Just play premium hands and get the other player pot committed before the river when you have it or should have it. Play below 25nl isn't very good and if you just play tight and aggressive, you'll prevail.

GL!
 
BluffMeAllIn

BluffMeAllIn

4evrInmyheart RIP xoxo :(
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2009
Total posts
11,324
Chips
0
Thanks Bluff...I need all the support I can get!

I will certainly provide any support I can, as will many other wonderful members of community regarding analysis and suggestions etc.

So what about .05/.10 limit hold'em? From what I hear, the swings aren't as brutal to you BR.

SOrry hadn't noticed you specified Limit for the .05.1. You would be correct the limit games are less swingy than NL, however I would still suspect on the brm side they would follow similar rules as it is still possible to lose bi's especially if not careful because you are usually almost always getting priced to chase (or at least this I find in many occassions, and again I havn't looked particularly into limit strategies as they are different than the NL variety).
If you are going to stick with cash, then perhaps limit game would be a good place to begin, as it is very much about ABC poker IMO which is a fundamental. Is 10Limit the lowest level of limit games they have?

So do I need to add another $50 to my starting BR to give myself a little bit more cushion? And stay away from the SnGs for the time being?

Here is the thing regarding this, you could certainly put in another 50$ to bring you to 100$ for a 20bi brm in the 5nl cash games, however at the same time know you are able to redeposit if you go on a bad streak and bust the 10bi's it is also ok to leave it at 50$ for now. This would make for a good hard stop loss to take some time out from the tables, review hand histories and analyze your play to see if you have been playing bad or taking a lot of bad beats. Just my thoughts, but having the entire 20bi in your online br could put you more at ease as well if you say come out of the window and lose 2bi's for example then instead of only 8 bi you had 18 bi and so it depends on how you choose to view the situation and which would possibly tilt you or not.

I would certainly choose either cash or sng's to focus on, rather than mixing them if looking for a focused grind. Mixing meaning per/session, if you have the br to following standard bi rules for either then no reason you could grind cash for a week and then sng for a week, however in point of focusing and improving the game I'd take each seperately as they are certainly two different beasts.

Ok...so 2 tables maxium..gotcha
As someone else already indicated, as many tables as you are profitable on but for starting out obviously start with only 1 if you havn't really multi-tabled before and see how that goes over a sample, even if just a small sample and add a 2nd table and so on if you are profitable on the 1st. Its all about preference on number of tables but as long as you are profitable you could play 20+ if desired. (Personally when I am able to grind cash I have a comfort with 6 -8 tables, 1-2 tables tilt me however on bovada because of resizing limits on the tables 2 would probably suffice with a tourny running somewhere else lol)

What are DON's

DON = Double or Nothing, so half the field wins double the buy-in (minus the rake fee). Its essentially the lowest varience you will find in poker, should be played very tight but also taking advantage of the true nits and widening up closer to bubble when the blinds are getting higher to maintain/increas your stack. Its essentially a game of survival, not always a fun form of poker lol.

With my BR being very small right now, I don't have alot of room to switch up the type of games I play. Looks like I'm either going to pluck down another $50 to give me cushion I need to handle the inevitable downswings that are going to occur or play like this is my last bullet with no chance of re-buying.

You don't want to play with scared money either, re the no chance of re-buying remark. Being too cautious (playing with scared money) is a very exploitable style that will likely get picked up on eventually. As I mentioned earlier you could do the 50 and know you have an additional ability to deposit more, or for the comfort and cushion deposit and bring the br up to 100. You are correct, it would be best to focus on a single game type for now either cash or sng etc, this will depend on your comfort/knowledge of either and of course which you enjoy more.

I will definitely keep everyone posted on this as I would suggest every beginning poker player start their journey like this. The plan is twofold, one is to gain knowledge and strategies about the game that I hope will transfer to the live games I play. And second, build up a sizeable BR that can (1) be separated into a BR for cash games and tournaments/SnGs and (2) can be a second income stream.

Like the saying goes, "A dream without a plan is a wish"
Look forward to seeing how it all goes.

Last question, is there a poker tracker or some kind of journal I can use out there that works for Bovada? I downloaded a trial version of Poker Tracker 4 but it does not work with Bovada.

You can download the handhistories from bovada, believe 24hr's after the session and there are converters which exist that you could convert and import them into PT4 if I recall correctly. There is also a HUD available specific to bovada, but it is relevent only to the table at which you sit for that session. Again someone will surely correct me on these two points if I am wrong, these are just my thought as believe I have seen other posts regarding in various threads.
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
I would say:
Stick to exactly 20 BI BRM structure. If you are 20 deep at 5nl and lose, just move down to 2nl again. If it was above 25nl, I would say play deeper, but play below 25nl isn't very good and a TAG style will win. I don't see the need to play 100 deep at 2nl. What a waste of time! (note: I did that before)

Couple of questions for ya Reptar7...

(1) How much is 20 BI BRM structure for 5nl? Pardon my ignorance as I'm still trying to learn the terminology
(2) Why is the need to play 100 deep at 2NL a waste of time?
 
BluffMeAllIn

BluffMeAllIn

4evrInmyheart RIP xoxo :(
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2009
Total posts
11,324
Chips
0
Couple of questions for ya Reptar7...

(1) How much is 20 BI BRM structure for 5nl? Pardon my ignorance as I'm still trying to learn the terminology
(2) Why is the need to play 100 deep at 2NL a waste of time?

Hey scrop, BI = buyin so 100$. I think he meant 100 bi deep playing 2nl, so still playing 2nl when you have 200$ br.

Hope this helps.
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Hey Bluff...I already have a bad beat story for ya!! I'm playing 0.05/0.10 limit hold'em. On the button I have 4s6s. UTG folds, Middle position raises it 0.10. I wanna see a flop so I tag along. Both SB and BB call as well. The flop comes 10sKh8s. I bet 0.10 and the both the SB and BB fold. Middle position calls. The turn comes 5s. I'm hyped now since I made my flush and now its time to get paid off! I bet 0.10 and again middle position just calls. The river comes Js! Fcuk!! Now I bet 0.10 then middle position re-raises me then i re-raise him again! Middle position flips over AhQs! I didn't get on tilt because I played smart, aggressive poker but I just couldn't make middle position fold.
 
BluffMeAllIn

BluffMeAllIn

4evrInmyheart RIP xoxo :(
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2009
Total posts
11,324
Chips
0
Hey Bluff...I already have a bad beat story for ya!! I'm playing 0.05/0.10 limit hold'em. On the button I have 4s6s. UTG folds, Middle position raises it 0.10. I wanna see a flop so I tag along. Both SB and BB call as well. The flop comes 10sKh8s. I bet 0.10 and the both the SB and BB fold. Middle position calls. The turn comes 5s. I'm hyped now since I made my flush and now its time to get paid off! I bet 0.10 and again middle position just calls. The river comes Js! Fcuk!! Now I bet 0.10 then middle position re-raises me then i re-raise him again! Middle position flips over AhQs! I didn't get on tilt because I played smart, aggressive poker but I just couldn't make middle position fold.

Unlucky on the 4th spade there scorp, but thats the thing with limit especially you were not getting him off the straight on the turn that he hit even with the 3 spades because you just couldn't give the wrong price for him to continue. Granted this would be why playing 46 suited would never be suggested either lol, but in this situation you got unlucky with the 4th spade.

Continued GL sir, limit is ok to play but can more donkish at micro stakes than any NL game because people won't go away ever even with A high because of the view that your always priced in, therefore top suggestion never ever bother trying to bluff.
 
lovemiscou

lovemiscou

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Total posts
3,793
Awards
20
CA
Chips
294
Good luck with you re goal scorpion.

I have just started my bankroll at PS for first time also, i am playing 1 and 2 cents cash games, been playing for 2 days now,i won 4.50 yesterday and lost 3.50 today but i am doing good in 100k freerolls for first time depositors, i cashed 4 times out of six. So tommorrow i wil try a 1.10 tourny and see what happens.
I havent set out any goals, i just want to build it up slowly and hopefuly not go
bankrupt.

I wish you the best of luck and keep us posted on you re progress
 
M

matiusaa

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Total posts
779
Chips
0
I would suggest you not to play cash until you have 100$ (it is recommendable to have at least 100 buy in of what you are playing). If you play cash, your buy in should be with the one you are more comfortable, none starting stack is better than others, they are just different ways to play, and all of them are profitable. It is really difficult to multiply by 10 your bank. It is tough but not impossible though
 
babydrago9

babydrago9

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Total posts
225
Chips
0
Hey, good luck with your challenge bro. First off for good BR the top pros usually say only use 1% per whatever your doing. But since its low stakes i think this increases to max 10%, so no more than $5 per tourney or this will be your no. of bbs for the cash game.
 
Reptar7

Reptar7

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 12, 2012
Total posts
783
Chips
0
Hey scrop, BI = buyin so 100$. I think he meant 100 bi deep playing 2nl, so still playing 2nl when you have 200$ br.

Hope this helps.

@ TXscoprion This^

I think it is a waste of time because if you are playing fairly tight and aggressive at the low stakes, the swings shouldn't be that bad and playing 20 Buy Ins deep lets you move up quicker. You just need discipline to stick to that bank roll management strategy.
 
Salvete777

Salvete777

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 13, 2013
Total posts
200
Chips
0
I'm not playing on bovoda, but I suggest to play micro tournaments (re-entry where perfect). Buy-in some $1-$3 (not more!). If you are skilled in tornament play you should try. Prize pool mostly very good in theese tournaments.
It was just my opinion...
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
I'm not playing on bovoda, but I suggest to play micro tournaments (re-entry where perfect). Buy-in some $1-$3 (not more!). If you are skilled in tornament play you should try. Prize pool mostly very good in theese tournaments.
It was just my opinion...

Hey Salvette...with my BR as tight as it is, it's going to be a minute before I start playing tournaments
 
newbie in training

newbie in training

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Total posts
1,043
Chips
0
what i normally do is i play a 1.10 tourney at 9:50 and start up some .02/.05 zoom or zone cant remember the reason i suggest you do this is because first of all the field is normally very light in the mtt just play tight and youll make a bunch of cash loosen up wen final table just a bit and before final table see whos willing to let you steal their blinds and whos loose you get the point and in the zone/zoom since its anonymous player system people wont know who is folding till rockets or who is raising every pot so just play super tight and when you get in to a situation where your 90%+ to win and learn how to make them play post flop for it :) gl with the challenge
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Quick status on the challenge...started out strong playing 0.02/0.05 on one table then I got bored and decided to try multi-tableing. Big Mistake! It's like my brain couldn't process the information fast enough to make the correct play. By doing this, I've either lost big pots I should've won or won small pots that I couldn't make bigger because my opponents knew when I made my hand and folded. Started to go on tilt after a few bad beats on the river so I decided to play 0.05/.10 limit hold'em. Got great cards but either lost to better cards or I couldn't put in a high enough raise to keep my opponents from making their hands.
0
 
TxScorpion

TxScorpion

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Total posts
112
Chips
0
Currently down to less than have of my starting BR and my emotions are all over the place. If and when I bust out, I want to do another deposit but I want to make sure my head is in the right place before I do.
 
newbie in training

newbie in training

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Total posts
1,043
Chips
0
Imo your coming in too confident and not humble enough to learn your l9oking to make money just coming in to the game and not pay your dues and what I normally do is play a tourney and cash at the same time to keep me entertained and js if uour looking for some entertainment go play slots lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
 
XXPXXP

XXPXXP

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Total posts
5,511
Awards
2
Chips
0
Hey all,

I decided to give myself a good challenge that would increase my knowledge of the game and a few extra $$ to my bank account. I'm trying to see if I can increase my starting bankroll of $50 on Bovada to $500. I need some advice on this so honest answers please.

1. Which games should I play (ie. 01/.02 NL or 0.02/.05 NL or 0.05/.10 Limit)
2. How many BBs should I play for each game
3. how many tables should I be playing to achieve this goal
4. Is this an obtainable goal for a beginning poker player like myself and countless others

think the only game I recommend is
50 buyin play 1.1USD buyin 45 player multi table SNG.[that is pretty safe for what u have right now] -- you may play average 3 games per day mostly.

I build my bankroll with 70bucks from 1.1 buyin 45 player SNG to 100
after that I think you may move to NL5 cash and climb ladders to 500bux

good luck.
 
newbie in training

newbie in training

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Total posts
1,043
Chips
0
Also if your looking for a low variance rooute very boring and slow grind then double or nothings sre your thing lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
 
Bankroll Building - Bankroll Management
Top