Proper Bankroll Limits

So my friend Clarence came into town on Saturday and I took him up to the Casino to show him the ropes. Boy was he impressed...too bad he lives over 4 hours away. However, after he hit two promotions and walked out a $235 winner, he maybe moving nearby soon! As for me, I earned $26 from my free slot play and made $74 on the 2-4 table for a total profit of $100.

On Sunday, I started the day real slow losing $75 by lunch time. After eating my free buffet, I got on a little rush winning a big pot with seven's full. I ended up finishing the day up $121 from poker and making $9.50 with my free slot play. So far everything is right on schedule!

As my poker bankroll builds, I started wondering what would be next... When do I move up in limits and when should I move down... So I made a little chart for myself based on these three general bankroll principles: 1) My bankroll in limit games should be 300 to 500 BB (Big Bets) 2) For N0-Limit game my bankroll should support 25 to 40 buy-ins 3) For tournaments, my bankroll should support 30 to 50 buy-ins.

This is what I got:

Limit Hold'em

$0 - $1799 play 2-4 Hold'em
$1800 - $3000 play 3-6 Hold'em and move back down to 2-4 when BR goes to $1200
$2400 - $4000 play 4-8 Hold'em and move back down to 3-6 when BR goes to $1800
$3600 - $6000 play 6-12 Hold'em and move back down to 4-8 when BR goes to $2400
$6000 - $10000 play 10-20 Hold'em and move back down to 6-12 when BR goes to $3600
$9000 - $15000 play 15-30 Holdem and move back down to 10-20 when BR goes to $6000
$12000-$20000 play 20-40 Hold'em and move back down to 15-30 when BR goes to $9000
$18000 - $30000 play 30-60 Hold'em and move back down to 20-40 when BR goes to $12000
$24000-$40000 play 40-80 Hold'em and move back down to 30-60 when BR goes $18000
$36000-$60000 play 60-120 Hold'em and move back down to 40-40 when BR goes to $24000
$6000-$100000 play 100-200 Hold'em and move back down to 60-120 when BR goes to $36K

No Limit Hold'em

$2500-$4000 play 1-2 or 2-2 NL Hold'em and stop when BR moves down to $1800
$5000-$8000 play 1-3 NL Holdem and move down when BR is $2500
$7500-$12000 play 2-5 NL Holdem and move down when BR is $5000
$12500-$25000 play 5-10 NL Holdem and move down when BR is $7500

Tournaments

$1200-$2000 play $40 Tourneys and stop when BR is $1000
$1500-$2500 play $50 Tourney and move down when BR is $1200
$2250-$3750 play $75 Tourneys and move down when BR is $1500
$3000-$5000 play $100 Tourneys and move down when BR is $2250
$4500-$7500 play $150 Tourneys and move down when BR is $3000
$6000-$1000 play $200 Tourneys and move down when BR is $4500
$9000-$15000 play $300 Tourneys and move down when BR is $6000
$15000-$25000 play $500 Tourneys and move down when BR is $9000
$30000-$50000 play $1000 Tourneys and move down when BR is $15000
$60000-$100000 play $2000 Tourneys and move down when BR is $30000
$150000-$250000 play $5000 Tourneys and move down when BR is $60000
$300000-$500000 play $10000 Tourneys and move down when BR is $150000

A lot to shoot for, but with patience, discipline, skill, and some luck, we may just get there!