BANKROLL IN TEXAS HOLDEM

The definition of "bankroll" is the total amount of money a player has to play with. ‘Bankroll management’ involves devising a strategy to maximize the size of your bankroll. And if you play Texas Holdem poker online, there’s a way to generate a sizable real-money bankroll without spending a cent of your own money, which we’ll explain how to do later.

A common question people have is how much money they should bring to play at a table. The general rule is to have 300x the amount of the big blind. This formula will suffice for 80% of players, but it can be changed, and for No-Limit games, that would not be enough to last you through the negative swings of the game. That’s what your bankroll is for: to make sure you don’t go broke too quickly when the cards aren’t in your favor. Some poker experts suggest a [200 x the big blind] formula for less-experienced players. In a $2-$4 game, your bankroll should be $800: 200 x $4 (which is the big blind) = $800.

BANKROLL MANAGEMENT/STRATEGY FOR TEXAS HOLDEM

Some first-time players to online poker make the mistake of going to the most popular site and buying a bunch of chips with their credit card, only to quickly lose them once they start playing. Obviously this is the wrong approach. Before you start playing with real money, you need to know how the game is played and to be comfortable with playing online. PokerStars.com have video tutorials that show you how to start playing online from the beginning: how to sign up and download and install the software, how to play Texas Holdem in their cardrooms, and when you’re ready, how to play Texas Holdem in their online tournaments. They’re a safe site and highly recommended for beginner and expert poker players.

1. PICK A SITE YOU LIKE AND PRACTICE!

There are so many online poker sites to choose from these days, it’s a good idea to do some research and play on their free tables first to see if you like the look and feel of their cardroom. Again, you should take a look at PokerStars.com. They have quality, friendly customer service twenty-four hours a day to answer any questions you may have regarding your online poker experience and will guide you through the sign-up process if you need it – this is a great service for beginner players.

Once you’ve picked a site to play Texas Holdem on, download their software and play many hands on the free tables until you feel totally comfortable with how the game operates and are winning some hands and folding weak ones. This might take a few hours or months – there is no set time – it all depends on how much you practice and how quickly you improve. You’ll know when you’re ready to start wagering real money.

2. BONUS MONEY FOR FIRST-TIME CASH DEPOSITS

Casinos make their money off the rake in poker games; the more hands being played, the more money the casino makes. Casinos offer generous bonus money to players the first time they deposit money in a cash account, with their main intention being that you’ll play more hands. UltimateBet.com periodically has an unprecedented first-time deposit bonus of an unbelievable 111% of your first deposit, up to a maximum of $1100! That’s one easy way to increase your bankroll!

Some people sign up at a site with that in mind: to get the bonus, play a game to meet the bonus requirements, and then cash out and redeposit their money in another site with a generous bonus, and so on until their money grows. Keep in mind, sign-up bonuses happen only the first time you sign up, so you’ll have to keep finding different casinos to sign up at. (Maybe save one of the better casinos for last, like PokerStars.com, so you can continue playing there and not have to take your money elsewhere.) You should also try to save sign-up bonuses for when you have enough to deposit so you’ll receive their maximum bonus. In the example above, if $50 is the maximum the casino will deposit as bonus money, you should wait until you have $50 to deposit. It’s a shame to waste a bonus by depositing only $20.

Keep an eye on generous bonuses – some sites will temporarily have 100% bonuses (or more, as mentioned above) during a promotional campaign. Of course that would be the best time to sign up and give your bankroll a shot in the arm.

3. FREEROLL TOURNAMENTS

Freeroll tournaments don’t cost anything to play, but you will still win money at the end! The amount varies from site-to-site, and they’re not usually very much, but with time and patience, your bankroll will grow without you having had spend a dime! PokerStars.com offers freeroll tournaments daily. Read our page on tournaments for more information on how they’re played.

4. RELOAD BONUSES

Keep your eyes open for e-newsletters from sites you’ve signed up at for reload bonuses. These are for people who have already signed up at a site and have received their first-time deposit bonus. Poker sites will sometimes try to lure you back to their tables to play Texas Holdem with cash bonuses if you deposit more money into your account. If you see your favorite site is offering one, take advantage of it because it doesn’t happen very often.

5. FOLD WHEN YOU’RE BEAT

The single most-important thing you can do to maximize your bankroll is not to deplete it by playing too many hands and not folding when you’re beat. They say there’s no such thing as a bad fold, and there is a lot of truth in that. Develop a strict set of starting hands and don’t deviate from it. If you fold more often when you should, your bankroll won’t diminish.

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