What is a bankroll in poker? The bankroll definition refers to the amount of money that you have set aside for the specific purpose of playing at poker tables. I like to think of it as the amount that I invest in a game of poker. Now, like any other investment, the poker bankroll has to be managed as optimally as possible to get the very best value out of it. In this guide, we will focus on one of the most desirable bankroll aspects, how to build your poker bankroll. Every poker player wants to build their bankrolls and quickly climb the stakes, which means they get to enjoy longer playtimes and more profits.
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Starting A Bankroll for Poker
Before we get to building your bankroll, it is very important to deeply understand what a bankroll truly is especially if you are new to the game. Once that is done, you can move on and pick out what the ideal starting bankroll is for you. This can be based on and is affected by several different things, including your gameplay, your income, and limitations.
A great example of what affects building your bankroll is the type of poker games that you will choose to play. For example, tournaments will more often than not require higher starting bankrolls when compared to most of the cash games at lower levels.
Ensure you evaluate your circumstances before eventually settling on the amount you wish to set aside for your poker gaming adventures. Now, let’s get into this poker bankroll building guide:
How to Build a Poker Bankroll from Scratch
Now that we have ascertained that you need money to win money when playing poker, we can now move on to the next step. While many poker players may have reasonable bankrolls to play with, there are lots of players who simply cannot afford to risk their hard-earned money on a game of poker. Fortunately for these players, there are some ways through which they can try their luck at the poker tables, build impressive poker bankrolls while at it, and even walk away with some money in winnings.
So, if you are starting from scratch, here are a few tips for building a poker bankroll from scratch:
- Capitalize on Freerolls
- Keep an Eye Out for Bonuses and Promotions
- Satellite Tournaments and Free Sit N Go’s
- Selling Play Money or Chips
1. Capitalize on Freerolls
Lots of sites offer freerolls to their customers, and these are a great way of entering tournaments with real money prizes. Do not expect to make millions of dollars from playing these freerolls, but if you are starting from scratch the $5 to $50 that you will make playing these games can be used as buy-ins to real money games with better cash prizes.
It will most likely take a bit of time to get a decent amount of cash from freerolls, but it is worth it especially considering that time and effort are all that you have to invest in the game.
2. Keep an Eye Out for Bonuses and Promotions
Most, if not all, modern casinos will be offering bonuses and promotions of some kind to give their customer even more reason to keep coming back.
For poker players who are starting a bankroll for poker, going with online poker sites that offer no-deposit bonuses is the best way to go. So long as you can meet the playthrough requirements, you will be able to build up an impressive bankroll that you can then use to advance to higher levels of poker gameplay.
3. Satellite Tournaments and Free Sit N Go’s
Many sites offer free satellites to live poker events or even championships while others may offer free to enter Sit ‘n Go’s. These may not be quite as easy to find but if you land any of them you will want to fully capitalize on them. Making the most of this may lead to accruing bankrolls that are high enough to play at higher stakes where you can potentially win even more money.
4. Selling Play Money or Chips
As it turns out, play money chips and other kinds of in-game currency can be just as valuable as real money. Some people are more than willing to pay for these. As such, if you have been able to build a huge bankroll by playing at the poker tables in play-money sites, you can exchange some of your winnings for cash that you can then use to enter real money cash games or tournaments.
