As every good poker players knows, being a successful poker player depends on many things. One of the most important things is knowing when to walk away and knowing when to run. Yes, Kenny Rodgers sang a lot of sense in his old song ‘The Gambler’ and you would do well to listen to his tale if you want to be a winner at online poker.
Some days, you just can’t win. Other players may be in great form and sometimes the cards just don’t fall the way you want them to. This is not related to luck, sometimes it just happens and in these instances, you are left with a choice. Do you keep ploughing money in to the game in the hope that you can turn it around, all the while becoming more desperate or do you take a step back and ensure you have money left to play again another time?
Poker bankroll management is a huge part of poker
When you play poker, you should set limits to give yourself a great chance of winning a lot of money but to also minimise the level of losses you may incur.
One good tip about about poker bankroll management is to always play within your roll. If you set yourself a limit of having a maximum percentage of your roll on the table at one time, you will not go broke during a single game.
The percentage can depend on a lot of things, how confident you feel who you are up against and of course your own personality. If 5% was the standard figure, cautious and risk averse players would have a maximum of 2 or 3% of their bankroll on the table at any one time. Attacking and confident players may decide to place 10% of their bankroll on the table at one time. The choice is up to you but if you make the decision, stick with it.
Do not be distracted
And once you have stuck with it, continue to stay with it and keep playing. After all, you play with chips, not money and any distraction from that could cause you to lose focus on the game. Knowing what you are playing with rather than trying to make financial calculations in your head should allow you to play better.
It should go without saying but once you are in the game, play to win. Many people may have a light-hearted approach to poker but these people are often the ones that lose out. If you know your bankroll limits, you are free to play as you want within that and this means you can play to win as far as that goes.
This style of play is not for everyone but then again, many people go bankrupt because of playing poker. If you want to keep on top of your finances, keep on top of your bankroll.