Why You Need a Sizable Poker Bankroll
Playing in a No-Limit Hold'em game can be quite a roller coaster experience, especially in a table full of loose players. The variance can get quite high and you can count on being rivered a couple of times.
Recognise that playing good solid poker does not guarantee that you will win pot after pot. Having that kind of mentality will get you tilting easily. However, a few bad beats in a row will put a strain psychologically if your bankroll is not enough to handle the downturn.
You need to realise that even if your loose passive opponent is still chasing after the flop, there is usually still a good 20% to 30% chance that they will beat you by the river. On rare occasions, they got lucky and happens to be holding pocket aces or pocket kings but you didn't know because they limped in preflop!
Due to the fact that you will either win or lose big pots with the calling station or the maniac, you need to be aware of the impact on your bankroll should you get rivered by these guys. In any case, it's a must to prepare a sizable bankroll when playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em as the swings can get very high.
So How Much Do I Need?
If you cannot cough up enough risk capital to fund a poker bankroll at least 20 times the maximum buy in, then you really shouldn't be playing at that limit. Risk capital is money that you don't need for your daily expenses such as food and rent. Playing with money that you need to spend on essentials is not only irresponsible, but also magnifies the fear of losing, putting a huge strain on your psychology and makes you tilt easily from bad beats.
Sun Tzu said: "To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."
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