Virtually every poker player's bankroll starts from scratch, but it takes money to make money, so that first investment has to come from somewhere. For most first-time poker players, "somewhere" is their own pocket. If you're in the early stages of getting serious about playing poker online, then it's important to accept that for most amateur poker players the first games you play will be more about holding your own and keeping what you have than making more. For that reason, we've outlined a few important things to consider when building a poker bankroll from scratch.
Practice Poker for Free
There's no point in bleeding money while you learn the ropes of online poker. Many newbs blow their first deposit by playing out of their league. If you've never played cash poker before, then give your bankroll a break and get acclimated at the points-only tables.
Keep Your Poker Money Separate
While you're probably going to have to take the foundation of your bankroll out-of-pocket, playing the game should never come before paying bills. To ensure that you're playing smart and not just gambling, it's important that you set limits and even more important that you never play with more than you can afford to lose. Ideally the first chunk of money you front for your poker habit will sustain all future play. With that in mind, it's best to open a poker-specific bank account and to pull only from that. It's also an easy way to keep track of what you've lost or won to date.
Know What You Need
The most common mistake amateur players make is in underestimating the monetary demands of the game. Quite frankly, a bare minimum deposit isn't going to cut it. There's a reason why many pros refer to their poker chips as "ammunition." Having a short stack makes you an easy target. Before you make your first deposit, take some time to determine what you need to play at your desired stakes level.
Remember that when you're looking at a $1/$2 table that's merely the cost of the small and big blind. The average cash game pot is somewhere between 10 and 20 times the small blind. Most tables recommend buying in with 50x the big blind. Remember too that this is the cost of a single session; if you're planning to play daily, then you can multiply that number by 30 to get an idea of what you need for a month of steady play. If that number isn't doable, then it's better to start at a lower stakes level than to play short-stacked at the higher, more competitive levels.
Look for Instant Poker Bonuses
Free poker bonuses are a great way to subsidize first and future deposits, but not all bonuses are created equal. If you're planning to play micro or even low stakes, or if you're a fan of the low buy-in MTTs, then you're not going to see much from a bonus that you have to earn. For low stakes players, you'll probably get more from the smaller instant bonuses and no deposit bonuses than from the large matching bonuses which are rewarded incrementally and only after a significant amount of cash play.
Practice Poker for Free
There's no point in bleeding money while you learn the ropes of online poker. Many newbs blow their first deposit by playing out of their league. If you've never played cash poker before, then give your bankroll a break and get acclimated at the points-only tables.
Keep Your Poker Money Separate
While you're probably going to have to take the foundation of your bankroll out-of-pocket, playing the game should never come before paying bills. To ensure that you're playing smart and not just gambling, it's important that you set limits and even more important that you never play with more than you can afford to lose. Ideally the first chunk of money you front for your poker habit will sustain all future play. With that in mind, it's best to open a poker-specific bank account and to pull only from that. It's also an easy way to keep track of what you've lost or won to date.
Know What You Need
The most common mistake amateur players make is in underestimating the monetary demands of the game. Quite frankly, a bare minimum deposit isn't going to cut it. There's a reason why many pros refer to their poker chips as "ammunition." Having a short stack makes you an easy target. Before you make your first deposit, take some time to determine what you need to play at your desired stakes level.
Remember that when you're looking at a $1/$2 table that's merely the cost of the small and big blind. The average cash game pot is somewhere between 10 and 20 times the small blind. Most tables recommend buying in with 50x the big blind. Remember too that this is the cost of a single session; if you're planning to play daily, then you can multiply that number by 30 to get an idea of what you need for a month of steady play. If that number isn't doable, then it's better to start at a lower stakes level than to play short-stacked at the higher, more competitive levels.
Look for Instant Poker Bonuses
Free poker bonuses are a great way to subsidize first and future deposits, but not all bonuses are created equal. If you're planning to play micro or even low stakes, or if you're a fan of the low buy-in MTTs, then you're not going to see much from a bonus that you have to earn. For low stakes players, you'll probably get more from the smaller instant bonuses and no deposit bonuses than from the large matching bonuses which are rewarded incrementally and only after a significant amount of cash play.
