Bankroll management poker chart

If you are playing poker to make some cash it is important that you have a good bankroll management. Bankroll management is the decision you make when entering a poker game; you decide how much of your bankroll you will risk in that game. In the history of poker there are many examples of good players going broke because of bad management.

If you are a causal player then this article isn’t for you. Causal players can play at all stakes regardless of their poker skills.

It is normal to lose a few games. Of course you can’t win each time. You should know the natural game variance: Good poker players lose 20 buyins after 500 games. This can be less and more but 20 is the average.
Following guidelines are recommended:

Always have 50 to 100 buyins left

This means that if you have a bankroll of $50 than you should play $1 max SNG games/tournaments (50/50=1). If you have a bankroll of $250 you should play $5 max SNG/tournaments (250/50 = $5). This way you make sure that you can handle the ocassional downswings.

Move up or down a level

Be disciplined. Moving a level down doesn’t mean that you are a bad player, it means that you make the necessary changes in order to become a better winning player on the long run. When you make enough cash you can move up one level (only one). Moving up levels takes it’s time but it is worth it.

For example: If you are playing $1 SNGs and you have a bankroll of $150 you can move up to $3 SNGs (150/50= $3).
If you are playing poker for a living you can play even more conservatively.