Most poker players start playing poker with a relatively small bankroll and, if they are serious players, give considerable attention to playing good poker in order to grow that small bankroll into a HUGE bankroll. The greatest hindrance to reaching that goal is poor play. However, even players who have developed good, winning poker skills often find it very difficult to really grow their bankroll for a couple of other reasons.
For instance, after a bad run and resulting losses to their bankroll, a player might feel the urge to move up in stakes. After all, a good session or two at that level might result in a nice increase in the bankroll. Sometimes that tactic has the desired effect, but often, when you step up to a higher stakes game in order to rebuild a diminished bankroll, the unhappy result is even greater damage to your already bruised bankroll. A better time to step up to a bigger game is, of course, when you are playing well, and even then you should leave yourself a way out if you lose…such as limiting yourself to only one or two buyins as a stop-loss.
Likewise, a player may be frustrated not because he is losing, but because his wins just don’t seem that stellar, and therefore he might decide to shake things up a bit…or alot, overplaying hands, or bluffing too much or in the wrong situations, trying too hard to win beyond what the players/cards/tables/situations (pick one) allow. If the legitimate opportunity for the big move comes, by all means, take it. But my experience has been…when you try to force it, when you try to go too far, too fast, or make up for lost ground (and step out of bounds in the process), there is usually somebody at the table who is more than happy to take your money.
When it comes to growing your bankroll, the best advice is this: easy does it! Work on your game, and if you develop into an expert or at least a good (better than average) player for the game you play, then you will win over time, and your bankroll will grow…significantly! Time is your ally if you are a good poker player, so use the leverage which time affords you!
And here is what many players don’t understand: it doesn’t take huge winning sessions to grow your bankroll big time…over time. Ever heard of the rule of 72? It is a handy “measuring stick” that folks in finance have used for years for quick “shoot from the hip” calculations. Take a rate of return or interest rate and divide that rate into 72 and you will find the number of “periods” required to double your money. For instance, if you earned 4 percent per year in a savings account, you would know by the rule of 72 that it would take about 18 years to double your initial deposit (72/4 = 18).
Well here is something that might really surprise you! What if you average a 5% daily increase in your bankroll through solid, disciplined play (at a level where you are comfortable)? How long will it take for your bankroll to double at that 5% daily rate? The answer is about 14 days…two weeks! 5 divided into 72 equals 14 “periods” or in this case days. $1000 to $2000 in two weeks…not bad at all! What if you average a 2.5% daily increase in your bankroll? Then you will see your bankroll double in about one month! If you are just tearing up the game you play consistently and are able to average a 10% daily increase, your bankroll will be doubling approximately every seven days!
These are very realistic numbers for some good players. I can tell you by my own experience that if I play my game the way I am capable of playing (serious, smart poker…no tilt allowed) then 5 percent daily bankroll growth is very attainable. I have done it over extended periods of time. Of course, there have been other times when I go on tilt and..well, let’s not go there.
Consider this bankroll project: Lets say you have developed your game to a level you are pleased with (for now at least). And on day one of your project your modest bankroll is $1000. Your game is Holdem and you multi-table 2/4 limit holdem games, two or three tables, nothing crazy. You devote some hours each day and are able to average 4BB/Hr over 3 to 4 hours of play, so you are winning $50 to $60 per session on average. Well, there is your 5% daily increase (50/1000 = 5%). As your bankroll increases, you move up to higher levels when you have 250 to 300 big bet equivalents in your bankroll. So when your bankroll is $1500, maybe you are ready for 3/6 tables. A $2000 bankroll might be your signal to go to 4/8. But don’t get hung up on transitioning to the higher tables at a set point, and DON’T GET TOO FOCUSED ON HITTING A DAILY PERCENTAGE. We are talking averages here, not daily quotas! The discussion of average daily growth is designed to foster solid play and bankroll management/growth, by helping you realize that you can make really good money over the days, weeks and months…without knocking the ball out of the park every time you play. Still, in case you are curious, if you did average a 5% daily bankroll increase, the $1000 you started with on day one of your project would have grown to more than $4,000 after 30 days and more than $18,000 after 60 days…exponential growth due to the magic of compounding!
The point of this article is to encourage careful, deliberate, expert (or at least better than average) play at your game/level over extended periods of time, resulting in significant bankroll growth. “Easy does it” may not sound too exciting, but if “easy does it” means potentially doubling your bankroll every 30 days or every two weeks…well, that sounds pretty exciting to me. Don’t confuse exciting with terrifying…they are cousins, but not siblings.
I won’t name the player in this post, in case you want to wait and watch the NBC televised Heads Up Poker Championship and be surprised, but the winner is….XXXXXX.
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