Texas Holdem Bankroll Requirements

If you're new to Texas holdem, you'll eventually start to wonder what stakes you should be playing at. The size of your bankroll is going to be a big factor affecting that decision. If your bankroll is small, then you'll want to play lower stakes games, and if your bankroll is large, then you'll want to play higher stakes games. I bet you're now thinking, Well, gee, Bob--I had that figured out already. Could you be more specific?

Yes, I can.

First of all, don't play at limits that are so far beneath your bankroll that you don't care about winning or losing. For example, let's say you just deposited $600 at Full Tilt Poker. You have $600 plus a bonus $600. If you're playing microstakes, like $0.01/$0.02, then you're not going to care about the outcome of any single hand or even the outcome of a single session. Or hell--you probably won't care about the outcome of a hundred sessions.

On the other hand, let's say you just deposited $50. Sitting down at the $5/$10 limit table doesn't make a lot of sense, because a single run of bad luck will destroy your entire bankroll, and you won't be able to play anymore.

So what are are some good Texas holdem bankroll guidelines?

For limit holdem games, a good rule of thumb is to have a bankroll that's at least 200 or 300 big bets. So if you have a bankroll of $600, you could easily play in the $1/$2 games. And if you play well, you really don't have to worry about going broke.

For no limit holdem games, a good rule of thumb is to have a bankroll that's at least 20 times as large as the buy-in. So if you have a $500 bankroll at Pokerstars, stick with the no limit games with the $25 buy-ins or less.

If you're going to specialize in sit n go holdem, which is common enough online, then you should have at least 40 buy-in's. So if you want to play in the $10+$1 tournaments, then you should have $440 in your bankroll.

The important thing is to keep your bankroll set aside from the other money in your life. If your bankroll gets smaller because you're losing, then be disciplined and go down in stakes until you can win your way back up. Don't be afraid to take a shot at higher stakes, but move back down immediately if your bankroll takes a hit. Don't ever gamble with the rent money.

Learn more about the basics of poker here.