"Poker Tournament Bankroll: The Key To Tournament Poker Success"A poker tournament bankroll shield’s you from the variance of tournament poker. It doesn’t totally block variance but it does keep you alive to play another day. How big of a “shield” do you need though? Your tournament bankroll should be based on the tournament structure you’ll play MOST OFTEN. Fast structure tournament bankroll This bankroll is the largest of the three structures. A minimum of 200 buy-ins is best. If you plan on playing $10 tournaments you’ll want a $2000 tournament bankroll. $20 tournaments need a $4000 bankroll. $40 bankrolls an $8000 bankroll. These bankroll amounts are the minimum, more is ideal. The bankroll is large in proportion to the buy-in because of the high variance of fast structures. In fast structures a large bankroll staves off the times when you may not cash for 20 buy-ins. It ensures you can keep playing and eventually make money. Medium structure tournament bankroll This bankroll needs a minimum of 100 buy-ins. To play $5 tournaments you’ll need at least a $500 bankroll. Slow structure tournament bankroll This bankroll requires the smallest amount. You’ll need a minimum of 50 buy-ins for this structure. Some bankroll requirements are substantial. If you cant afford them there is another way to play within just about ANY tournament bankroll. Lets say you only had $100 for a bankroll. Divide your bankroll by the minimum buy-ins for the structure you want to play. If you wanted to play a slow structure divide $100 by 50 and you get $2. You could play $2 tournaments in a slow structure with a $100 poker tournament bankroll. The only place to play $2 tournaments is online. If you don’t have access to online poker live tournaments or home games are another option. Buy-ins for live tournaments start at $20 and go up from there, so they’ll require a larger bankroll. Home game buy-ins will probably require less of a bankroll but not as small as online. Good luck! |
