What's a Bankroll? (1 Viewer)

What size bankroll do you keep for the regular stakes you play?

  • None, I just play for fun/rec

    Votes: 32 50.0%

  • 1-10 buy-ins

    Votes: 6 9.4%

  • 11-30 buy-ins

    Votes: 11 17.2%

  • 30+ buy-ins

    Votes: 15 23.4%
  • Total voters
    64
ngmcs8203

ngmcs8203

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What’s your bankroll look like when you play live in a casino? Are you pulling bullets out of checking or are you pulling from a properly sized bankroll for the game you are playing?

I guess this question is more for those of you who play recreationally live. Online I’ve always maintained a 15-30 buyin strategy when I’m actively grinding. I’m comfortable playing as low as 10BI if I’m shot taking.

However, in my home games I’m never bankrolled like that since it’s a rec game for me. I usually play with an extra 2-3 buyins in my pocket and maybe something to buy dinner with.

If I play live low stakes I’m never pulling from a 20-30 sized buy-in bankroll to play. My wife would probably castrate me if she found out I had pulled 10k from our savings to play cards.

She has, however, said it would be ok if it was 10k in winnings and I broke off a percentage of anything over that bankroll size to put into our joint account. A side hustle if you will…
 
ngmcs8203 said:
She has, however, said it would be ok if it was 10k in winnings and I broke off a percentage of anything over that bankroll size to put into our joint account. A side hustle if you will…
Click to expand...
So she refuses to invest but expects to get cut in like an investor after you scrape it all together on your own blood, sweat, and tears?

If she wants a percentage, she should put in a percentage.
 
I have access to essentially unlimited money to play micro stakes poker. That means my income and/or net worth are vast relative to the swings in poker results. Bankroll presumes a risk of ruin. No matter what results happen to me in poker this year, I have effectively zero financial risk.

I do keep up with how I am doing. I keep a pile of cash around to buy in and to make change when cashing people out. I don't consider that a bankroll.

Bankrolls are a tool for people who depend on gambling as a source of income. Bankrolls are a form a loss limiting discipline. Your net lifetime winnings is not a bankroll in the sense we mean when talking about bankroll management.

I do employee loss limits when I am playing on a cruise, in Vegas or at a meetup. Not wanting to spoil the whole trip by blowing all my trip money on one poor luck day of cards.

DrStrange
 
DrStrange said:
I have access to essentially unlimited money to play micro stakes poker. That means my income and/or net worth are vast relative to the swings in poker results. Bankroll presumes a risk of ruin. No matter what results happen to me in poker this year, I have effectively zero financial risk.

I do keep up with how I am doing. I keep a pile of cash around to buy in and to make change when cashing people out. I don't consider that a bankroll.

Bankrolls are a tool for people who depend on gambling as a source of income. Bankrolls are a form a loss limiting discipline. Your net lifetime winnings is not a bankroll in the sense we mean when talking about bankroll management.

I do employee loss limits when I am playing on a cruise, in Vegas or at a meetup. Not wanting to spoil the whole trip by blowing all my trip money on one poor luck day of cards.

DrStrange
Click to expand...

What he said, except for the "essentially unlimited" part. My Dad's advice was never sit with money that you can't afford to lose.
 
When you have a job and can replenish your "bankroll," the notion of a bankroll is relatively moot. I play mostly 1/3 and 2/5 with an average buy in of 700 or so. My stop loss is 1.5k, sometimes 2k. I don't keep a separate roll, but I do track my results. I've had a few moderate downswings. And if I have to wait for the money to come back, then so be it.
 
DrStrange said:
I have access to essentially unlimited money to play micro stakes poker. That means my income and/or net worth are vast relative to the swings in poker results. Bankroll presumes a risk of ruin. No matter what results happen to me in poker this year, I have effectively zero financial risk.

I do keep up with how I am doing. I keep a pile of cash around to buy in and to make change when cashing people out. I don't consider that a bankroll.

Bankrolls are a tool for people who depend on gambling as a source of income. Bankrolls are a form a loss limiting discipline. Your net lifetime winnings is not a bankroll in the sense we mean when talking about bankroll management.
Click to expand...
All that here too.
DrStrange said:
I do employee loss limits when I am playing on a cruise, in Vegas or at a meetup. Not wanting to spoil the whole trip by blowing all my trip money on one poor luck day of cards.
Click to expand...
I don't play on cruise ships unless it's a private game, i.e. in the library, etc., not in the casino. The casino cash games on cruise ships are for the terminally rich and/or terminally stupid.

I usually play at the smaller games at meetups, since I actually like old-timer poker (stud, HE, PLO, not much draw). I'm not a huge fan of circus games.

In Vegas, AC, etc. I hit the card room with something like 5-10 buy-ins, since I have control over the games I sit down to.
 
Legend5555 said:
When you have a job and can replenish your "bankroll," the notion of a bankroll is relatively moot. I play mostly 1/3 and 2/5 with an average buy in of 700 or so. My stop loss is 1.5k, sometimes 2k. I don't keep a separate roll, but I do track my results. I've had a few moderate downswings. And if I have to wait for the money to come back, then so be it.
Click to expand...
The few times I've played in a casino and I've won and never "re-invested" into my poker stash. It's always been a way to help pay for the trip or buy my SO something nice.

It's an interesting question I've found myself asking for a few different reasons but primarily for the fact that I love the idea of having a separate account for poker and playing more live as a potential side income. I was listening to the Texas Poker Podcast and they were talking about maintaining a theoretical 20k bankroll solely for poker as entertainment/side hustle money. The concept that they proposed was to take 25% of any winnings above the 20k and add it to your personal checking account as "income" and then leave the 75% in your bankroll. Anytime you play and your bankroll is less than that 20k, 100% of the winnings go back into funding the bankroll to 20k. This was for a player that plays 1/3.

I thought the idea was cool.
 
Last edited:
Jimulacrum said:
So she refuses to invest but expects to get cut in like an investor after you scrape it all together on your own blood, sweat, and tears?

If she wants a percentage, she should put in a percentage.
Click to expand...
she is entitled to half of....everything lol
 
Jimulacrum said:
By that logic he should be able to cut a stake out of savings.

I definitely encourage him to get into an animated discussion of the matter with wifey.
Click to expand...
agreed - now i know plenty of friends will under report wins and losses. Let's face it... we are content to just play the game and hang with friends without all the nagging of being away from family. i've had this issue in the past where they want 50% of the wins but when u lose... u don't have any buffer. they force you to take a break hahah...

it's a juggling and balancing act... hopefully one can stash away some wins for a rainy day (losses). Joint accounts suck as they see what's going on. I'd fully support individual accounts aka slush fund where no partner questions what u do with it. Joint account for bills and usual stuff.

A very challenging way to play poker if you're always thinking about the money vs making the right play.
 
ngmcs8203 said:
What’s your bankroll look like when you play live in a casino? Are you pulling bullets out of checking or are you pulling from a properly sized bankroll for the game you are playing?

I guess this question is more for those of you who play recreationally live. Online I’ve always maintained a 15-30 buyin strategy when I’m actively grinding. I’m comfortable playing as low as 10BI if I’m shot taking.

However, in my home games I’m never bankrolled like that since it’s a rec game for me. I usually play with an extra 2-3 buyins in my pocket and maybe something to buy dinner with.

If I play live low stakes I’m never pulling from a 20-30 sized buy-in bankroll to play. My wife would probably castrate me if she found out I had pulled 10k from our savings to play cards.

She has, however, said it would be ok if it was 10k in winnings and I broke off a percentage of anything over that bankroll size to put into our joint account. A side hustle if you will…
Click to expand...
are you allowed to tap into said account if u lose? Or is it what's in that joint account is no longer under your purview?
 
l33tf0b said:
are you allowed to tap into said account if u lose? Or is it what's in that joint account is no longer under your purview?
Click to expand...
Ha, nah. I am being facetious. I just spent an additional $200 on chips without a question of what it was for. I think she'd actually see me playing poker more as an investment than I would. The added pressure would ruin me.
 
Bankroll is a concept if you're playing for income and need to manage how much set aside money you need to manage downswing because you are paying yourself your winnings. Unless you are playing professionally, or at stakes not comfortable for your income level, then don't worry about it

(Full disclosure, I don't play professionally but do still keep a bankroll, but it's specifically a spite bankroll which is a whole other animal.)
 
What's everyone using to track their wins/losses on iOS devices? I'm using Poker Analytics - moved on from Poker Income after it somehow lost my records with no backup.

I think we'd all like to think we are winning players :)
 
MrCatPants said:
Bankroll is a concept if you're playing for income and need to manage how much set aside money you need to manage downswing because you are paying yourself your winnings. Unless you are playing professionally, or at stakes not comfortable for your income level, then don't worry about it

(Full disclosure, I don't play professionally but do still keep a bankroll, but it's specifically a spite bankroll which is a whole other animal.)
Click to expand...
That’s a first that I’ve ever heard (bankroll management is only for those making a living). I’ve always maintained pretty strict BR rules for online play since I hate having to reload because I buy in too short for variance. Live play is different though.
 
l33tf0b said:
What's everyone using to track their wins/losses on iOS devices? I'm using Poker Analytics - moved on from Poker Income after it somehow lost my records with no backup.

I think we'd all like to think we are winning players :)
Click to expand...
1698991764845.png
 
l33tf0b said:
What's everyone using to track their wins/losses on iOS devices? I'm using Poker Analytics - moved on from Poker Income after it somehow lost my records with no backup.

I think we'd all like to think we are winning players :)
Click to expand...
Poker analytics too.
 
I mostly play in home games, usually my own. I occasionally play in casinos maybe once or twice a year. I never play online.

I keep a stash of small/medium bills. Its main purpose is change bank but if I run out of cash in my wallet or another player needs to venmo me, I'll use it for that.

When it gets above ~10 buy ins or so ($1,000), I start to use it to upgrade my setup. Or I'll pull from it to play blackjack if I'm heading somewhere that has a casino. The wife also raids it sometimes if she needs cash for something, which she never carries.
 
l33tf0b said:
What's everyone using to track their wins/losses on iOS devices? I'm using Poker Analytics - moved on from Poker Income after it somehow lost my records with no backup.

I think we'd all like to think we are winning players :)
Click to expand...
Poker Tools for me.
 
Yeah, lots of budgeting discussions, but my bankroll is just keeping score. I like to see the number go up, and when it goes down it affects me less cause its just a pile of cash I've won.
 
l33tf0b said:
What's everyone using to track their wins/losses on iOS devices? I'm using Poker Analytics - moved on from Poker Income after it somehow lost my records with no backup.

I think we'd all like to think we are winning players :)
Click to expand...
Same, Poker Income
 
working on growing them local bankroll to scale up...unfortunately I am not too good...LOL
 
The key is to only risk entertainment money.
So, if you suffer a bad night's loss, you just don't make the next weekend excursion trip or you don't go to a fancy restaurant next evening. The problem here is wives. :)

So, even playing seriously out of love for the game, but NOT for a living (even as a side source of income), what you need is a budget, NOT a bankroll.

Sadly, working class people, without any entertainment money available, do still play mixed games of chance and knowledge, for money.
 

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