Bankroll question, more for the higher stake players.

Jameskr

My question is, did you work your way up by playing lower stakes and getting the bank roll high enough so you could make the transition to playing pro/higher stakes?

or

did you already have the cash to make a big deposit?

penguin7

I would think it fair to say that 99% of higher stakes players have built their bankroll by playing through the levels.

The same as most things in life, you dont start at the top, but gain the experience as you progress.

The nicest thing about it is that you are always playing with someone elses money unless you supertilt !

TommyD

Through the levels.  It's your poker apprenticeship.  And after a few bang wings and bad BRM decisions you have to do the odd refresher course.

Jameskr

thanks for the replies interesting to see that's all

scotty77

Alywas best to build up.  The experience of moving up thru the levels/thru sngs/cash/mtts is a vital one and something that is really important.

Plus also its a fantastic sense of achievement too.

jakally

When I first started playing (mid-2005), the lowest level on the sites I played on was $0.10/$0.25, so I started there.

Was playing $2/$4 within a few months, but the average standard was really bad then.... plus I wasn't really a winner at that level - breakeven or a small loser.

A winning player at £0.25 / £0.50 on Sky now, would have absolutely crushed the $2/$4 games back then.

I played almost purely STT's for a 3 - 4 month period during 2006, and became a winning player.

When SkyPoker opened it's doors in Feb 2007, I deposited two or three lots of £40, final tabled the Open in my first week, and started playing £0.25/£0.50 and £0.50/£1 from there.

I'm pretty sure most players have served their time at the lower limits, and I wouldn't advise anyone to play larger games until they have proved they can win at lower levels.

Jameskr

i agree, iv been making the mistake of just depositing to play certain tournaments, mainly just because im gagging for a game... I can win at the lower level mtts (just won the £100 free roll with 615 runners(LOL)) and get quite deep in the main events some times but clearly need to build a bankroll at the lower levels first.

FlashFlush

In Response to Re: Bankroll question, more for the higher stake players.:

i agree, iv been making the mistake of just depositing to play certain tournaments, mainly just because im gagging for a game... I can win at the lower level mtts (just won the £100 free roll with 615 runners(LOL)) and get quite deep in the main events some times but clearly need to build a bankroll at the lower levels first.
Posted by Jameskr

There is absolutly nothing wrong with that, as long as what your depositing makes no difference to your life outside of poker. 

There is a big difference between a BANKROLL and a BUDGET. If your a casual player who plays small MTTs/STTs thereis nothing wrong with putting £20 on a week and see if you can spin it up. If however you play a lot like I do then you need a BANKROLL so that you don't chase losses and end up putting on more than you can afford.

IMO Only winning players have a bankroll because over time their account should be rising, but their "Bankroll" helps them out when they are in that bad run. If you are a losing player and your account is dropping down over time, then you need a "Budget". 

Not everyone can be a winning player, there are more losing players than winnings players and the losing players are more important to poker than the winning players are.

Going back to the OP, I built up from micro MTTs. I started with £30, spun it up a little bit to about £100, didn't cash in a few tournies and ended up busto, rinse and repeat about 3 times until I deposited £100 and used proper BRM, I had a few open final tables and a win followed quickly by a 3rd at an SPT which gave me the spring board to play properly. This took a year or so though as I was playing with no knowledge of the game when I 1st started.

penguin7

+1 to all of Charles (FlashFlush) comments above.

When you start out knowing little about the game, you are unlikely to become a winning poker player overnight. In some respacts you should expect to have to pay for your poker education.

And as he says, only winning players have a bankroll, beginners have a budget. And as long as what you are depositing is affordable thats fine.

I was very fortunate because on my second £50 deposit, I entered an MTT for a fiver and luckboxed my way to winning it for £400+

And then repeated it the following week and never looked back. Its at that point that BRM comes into play. Your bankroll should be kept seperate from your other money, and is almost sacred. Avoid constantly withdrawing /depositing.

But I am sure many of our top guys have had to really fight their way to a bankroll by starting out grinding microstakes cash and moving slowly up through the levels, learning as they go.

I could also name many players who 3 or 4 years back were consistent losers in tournaments, obviously constantly depositing. Some have vanished without trace, but quite a few have suddenly got it and turned into very successful players.

Good luck. Like me you obviously enjoy tournaments. One tip for you is do not panic or tighten up on the bubble. Payouts are top heavy and min cashes will only buy you into the next tourny. Keep playing the game that got you there and aim high. Look for the final table, one good win and you have the start of a bankroll.

Jameskr

really good responses, it's nice to see that what Im doing seems pretty normal to others who first got involved in poker and thanks for the advice, hope to see you at an SPT soon