Poker players are full of stories of transforming a few dollars into massive bankrolls. That is usually the origin story of many greats who compete in those huge Las Vegas tournaments. If you are looking to follow in their steps, our guide will help you create a solid poker bankroll.
Free-rolls
If you are looking to start fresh, free-roll tournaments are your friend! There is no shortage of poker sites hoping to draw in new punters to their platform. Take advantage of this and go online casino hunting!
Do not jump into the first website that promises a big payout. Look into their licenses and terms to avoid any potential traps. Most free-roll tournaments play Texas Hold’em, currently the most popular poker variant. That said, there are other tables with different rules, like Omaha and Stud.
If you have experience with these games, you can join free-roll tournaments for these poker games. The prize is usually lower, but you will usually compete with less people. Not to mention their skill level will not be up to par.
Low Stakes Poker Tables
You have scored some wins via free-roll, and now it is time to move onto tables that you wager real money on. Odds are you will not have many funds to start with. Play small bets, and do not make any high-risk bets. It may not be as fun as going all out, but that is the sacrifice we must make.
You will not win a lot on these tables, but you will not lose much either. After you bulk up your poker bankroll, you can start looking into rooms that are more serious in terms of wagers. Look to poker rooms offered by sportsbooks.
Their tables can be pricey to join, but they are usually home to more casual players. Make sure to get a feel for the table before you go all out. You do not want to come across another experienced punter who will punish you for repeated shameless bluffing.
Guaranteed Prize Pool Tournaments
Both previous steps have helped you hone your poker skills. Now, it is time to transfer them into serious wins! Online casinos often host poker tournaments where a certain sum is guaranteed to be won by the casino. The challenge here is finding an online casino that offers these tournaments but is not too busy. Every extra competitor is an added chance for bad luck to bury your efforts.
To start with, we suggest opting for Double or Nothing Sit ‘n’ Go tournaments. Sit ‘n’ Go tournaments start as soon as a certain number of players is reached. In Double or Nothing, these players eliminate each other. When half of the competitors are eliminated, the tournament ends. The prize is split among the winners, while the losers get nothing.
If you can afford to stay up late, you can try and target tournaments scheduled at odd times. A tournament at 4 AM will have less traffic than the one at 9 PM.
Bonuses
You should consider this step after you have managed to create sizable bankroll for yourself. Many poker websites give tantalizing welcome offers, which promise to match your deposit.
These offers can be well worth your time, provided the wagering requirements are good. Make sure to check the rules of any promotion you sign up for. Online casinos will often throw in some clause or another to catch punters off-guard.
Bankroll Management
While the other four steps were about making money, this step is about keeping it. You must always consider your budget constraints when you play. When you only have a few dollars in your account, spending half of it to buy into a tournament is detrimental to your goal.
As a rule, you do not want your tournament buy-in to be more than 5% of your total budget. Even if you are a poker god, you will not be able to win every round. Luck plays an important factor, after all! In the same vein, try to have your bankroll at around 30x the maximum buy-in of the table. In both cases, you are leaving room to bounce back, even in face of a losing streak.
