Home   ::   Poker Room Reviews   ::   Strategies   ::   Rules   ::   Game Play   ::   Contact Us :: Poker Rules: Texas Hold'em :: Poker Rules: Omaha :: Poker Rules: Limit Games :: Rank of Poker Hands :: Glossary of Poker Terms :: Etiquette :: Tournaments :: Poker Odds :: Collusion in Poker :: Poker @ Home/Web :: Poker Jive :: Mindset :: Game Choice :: Bankroll :: Advice to New Players :: Basic Poker Playing Tips :: Secrets of Great Poker :: Starting Hand Strengths :: Advanced Hold'em Strategies :: Bluffing :: The Art of Deception :: Dumping 2nd Best Hand :: Dynamic Hand Value :: Going on Tilt :: No-Limit Game :: No-Limit Texas Hold'em :: Shorthand Game :: Shorthand Limit Hold'em :: Longhand Limit Hold'em :: Self-Control :: Playing Multiple Games :: Poker Room Reviews :: Legality :: Payment Methods :: Getting Started :: Lessons 1-5 :: Lessons 6-10 :: Lessons 11-15 :: Lessons 16-21 :: Features :: World Poker Tour :: WSOP :: Accessories :: Humor :: Changing Pace :: Mind Games :: Tells :: History of Poker :: Famous Poker Players :: Poker Books :: Links :: Disclaimer :: Privacy & Security Bankroll One of the first and most important questions you should ask yourself before you play poker is: how much cash should I be putting down? The most important part of that statement, if you don’t know already, is the word "before.” We believe the best approach is to set personal limits BEFORE you start a game of poker, not WHILE it’s going on. You must have a clear notion of what you can afford to lose and when you reach that threshold, you have to be able to control yourself and stop! It's really as straightforward as that. Still, there are 2 possible answers to the major dilemma of "what amount to invest." Check our ‘solutions’ below. If you're only looking to have fun, then don't invest any more than that which is "fun" to lose. If you're ok with dropping $100, put $100 in and see what where it leads. Don’t forget, there's a good chance you'll make some money (or perhaps even considerable money) from that original $100, but if things take a turn for the worse, walk away before they deteriorate further. It only gets more difficult if you go over that magic number. The second possible solution is depends on the result of different circumstances: namely, making money. If you are playing poker because you want to make money, you’ll want to have the capacity to finance about 200 big bets at the limit you play. In other words, say you're at a $2-$4 table. In this case, you should have a bankroll of $800 - a big bet of $4, multiplied by 200. For a $5-$10 table, your target range should be $2,000, and so on and so forth. This is a good formula to remember because it will help to keep you from dropping your entire ‘wad’ in one bad go. Other websites or experts might say that 200 big bets is too low a threshold for shorthand, but we believe that moderation is a better strategy than going overboard. If you want to invest more than 200 big bets, that’s ok. However, we’d suggest that you at least wait until you've been successful at the limit we’ve discussed before going further. In the end, you probably won’t regret it.