So, as a beginner, try to start out playing at very low limits to get a feel for the games and to minimize losses. The vast majority of new players starting out at poker grossly underestimate the bankroll needed to play at certain limits for a longer period of time. As a beginner, you are probably one of these guys so take a look at the bankroll guides below!!!
But the trouble does not end here. Many experienced players make bankroll mistakes as well. A cardinal sin is to treat your bankroll like a tournament buy-in. This means that as soon as you have played for a couple of weeks and is at break-even or are up a little bit at one limit, you then advance to a higher limit with your entire bankroll and so it continues. This way you are almost guaranteed to eventually lose all your money. The reasons are that you are putting too much pressure on your insufficient bankroll and also playing at higher levels where you not only have to adopt to different playing logics (different playing style to be profitable) but also are playing against players who are probably significantly stronger than you. And in addition you face risk of playing too passively at the higher limits as you can get " gun shy" when you cannot afford to lose and are inexperienced. Try to stay away from that behavior. Keep playing at reasonable limits for at least 200 hours of playing where you hopefully are doing well or at least is not losing too much. If you decide to try a higher limit do so for just a short period with a smaller test bankroll and get out if it is not working well for you. You are most likely playing poker for recreational purposes - make sure you give yourself the chance to enjoy yourself more than a month or two!
- Luckily for the few professional players out there, most players play for fun. If you are not 100% focused on playing a winning game, but playing mostly to have a good time you belong to the 95% who are happy amateurs. Then you should try to have as good of a time as possible at as low limits as possible. Don't destroy your hobby by playing too high. But there is a quick way to break-even or win in poker. By learning the basic strategies and adopting a tight/aggressive style you have a very big chance of making a small profit. The reason is that most other players don't really play to win. You will find a very extensive collection of poker game strategies in our Poker Strategy-section. By adopting these strategies as a beginner and practicing them on lower limits you should be able to improve your game significantly in less than 50 hours of playing and often make a profit in less than 100 hours of playing. Remember to revisit the strategy advice at least 2 times during your first 100 hours of play to ensure that you are really putting the strategies into practice!
End Of Online Poker Bank Management |
