$50 bankroll question
 

I play on pokerstars and have exactly $50. Which games (SNGs) do you think are best to play to build my bankroll with. $1 +.20 (45 ppl) $1.75+.25 turbo (18 ppl) $5 single table or $6 turbo single table games?

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so if not please tell me where.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Well, when I just had $50 i played $10NL Hold'em tables. And you might want to try the $10 PLO8 tables too, some easy money there [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

I assume you're unwilling to reload your account if you bust. The bad news is you probably will with this small bankroll.

With that said hopefully you'll get lucky and start out with positive variance, so I'll try to give you some advice about that.

Your SnG results can really bunch up so you may win a few and get cocky, then not cash for a long long time. Take it slow. Play at least 20 SnG's before you even think about moving to a higher level, but be ready to drop down any time you feel your bankroll is getting too small for the level you're at. My point is not that 20 SnG's is enough to tell if you're a winner at a level - it clearly isn't, but that when you cash in 4 SnG's in a row and win two of them you'll be sorely tempted to move up. Don't. Play a dozen more and see if your success continues.

It's really tough to even believe variance can be as large as it is in poker. The human mind just doesn't want to believe in short term random events. But there is no avoiding it. At some point you will go on a long losing streak, even if you're making great decisions the whole way. There is simply nothing you can do to avoid it. Couple this with being a new player who probably isn't making great decisions the whole way and it is remarkably easy to bust, even if you feel like you know what you're doing. Three years ago I never would have believed you needed over $3000 to regularly play $5/$10 fixed limit. I mean, if you're a good player, you surely can't lose more than a few hundred bucks before you win it back, right? Sadly, this is not true.

So getting back to your case - you just don't have the bankroll to play at any of the levels you mention IMHO, but not having the bankroll doesn't mean you will bust, just that you're at risk. The thing I really don't like about these tiny SnG's is the vig is frequently well over 10% which really sucks. Still, your opponents should really suck on average. Stick to the smallest buy-ins you can - I'm not sure which of the two smaller options is better, but my gut tells me you're better off in the $1.75 + $.25 even though it's a higher buy-in due to the much smaller field.

I rarely say this when it comes to poker, but good luck.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Well, when I just had $50 i played $10NL Hold'em tables. And you might want to try the $10 PLO8 tables too, some easy money there [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
This is not good advise at all. You got lucky.

To the OP: When I had a $50 roll I built it up playing the nanolimit hold em games. I would advise you grind it out there. I would also read this post: MrWookie's bankroll building guide. It is the new industry standard.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Um... how about some bonus whoring at other sites to build the bankroll, then come back with a few hundred, and more room for error? I feel like your BR may be too small that it will change your game into playing too weak for fear of busting out.

If bonus whoring is not a possibility, you might have to go to nano-limits.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Playing nanolimit is a great way to learn solid poker.
I'm still learning, everyday, but atleast I've build a roll of $600 learning.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Um... how about some bonus whoring at other sites to build the bankroll

[/ QUOTE ]

Is Whoring even possible with $50?

Go to PokerStars and grind out the micro-limits. The .02/.04 LHE or the .01/.02 NLHE tables are great for building a bankroll from scratch. I started with $50 on Stars a few weeks ago and I'm up to $80. Yeah, it's a slow grind, and you won't be buying a plasma with your winnings any time soon, but your risk of ruin is practically non-existant. Just play smart and be patient.


JunkHead

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
I play on pokerstars and have exactly $50. Which games (SNGs) do you think are best to play to build my bankroll with. $1 +.20 (45 ppl) $1.75+.25 turbo (18 ppl) $5 single table or $6 turbo single table games?

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so if not please tell me where.

[/ QUOTE ]

What are your goals and is $50 your total bankroll or are you willing to reload? Also, many of the stickies in each forum have bankroll advice. Find the forum that interests you and check it out.

Micro limits
Homer's building a bankroll (some info may be outdated)
Single Table Tourneys
Multi-table Tourneys

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
I started with $50 on Stars a few weeks ago and I'm up to $80. Yeah, it's a slow grind, and you won't be buying a plasma with your winnings any time soon, but your risk of ruin is practically non-existant. Just play smart and be patient.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like how I started out too. Now I've never managed to get a plasma screen, but I did take my wife to San Francisco with poker money this past summer.

So yeah, it can be done! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I started with $50 on Stars a few weeks ago and I'm up to $80. Yeah, it's a slow grind, and you won't be buying a plasma with your winnings any time soon, but your risk of ruin is practically non-existant. Just play smart and be patient.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like how I started out too. Now I've never managed to get a plasma screen, but I did take my wife to San Francisco with poker money this past summer.

So yeah, it can be done! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

sounds like me. I don't have a plasma but I did take a trip to long beach CA this summer

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

If you go to a site like pacific poker you'll get a 25% deposit bonus up front so you'll have $11.50 extra to play with when you sign up. Also if you find someone who already plays there you can get an additional $25 dollars if they refer you.

My coworker referred me and my initial $72 deposit became $115 before I played a hand.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Does Pacific still track bonus requirements as diligently as they have in the past, wink-wink, nudge-nidge...

I hate the long wait for cashouts at Pacific, however soft the games.



JunkHead

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Does Pacific still track bonus requirements as diligently as they have in the past, wink-wink, nudge-nidge...


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you referring to cashing out the bonus before clearing it or do you want try to refer your self as a friend?

I'd say both would be a long shot. You don't get the refer a friend bonus for 48 hours because they investigate both accounts for fraud.

They won't let you completely cashout till you clear the bonus by wagering 20x which at NL 10 takes about 1 - 2 months for the scenario i described above where I got both bonuses. I'm almost done clearing mine, probably 2 more weeks.

Pacific
 

[ QUOTE ]
I hate the long wait for cashouts at Pacific, however soft the games.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, that's one of the obvious downsides. (I think my two sentence summary here is unbiased, but feel free to hack away at it if I'm not fully stating the case against Pac.)

Ideally I like to keep a little bit of bankroll there and a lot more elsewhere. When I learn to multitable confidently, I'd also like to play one Pac table and however many others on sites that allow multitabling. Alas, Pac's software seems to be such a memory hog that the times I've tried that (usually with one other table on Party or Absolute), everything bogs down.

However, as long as I'm just learning by moving up the limits and single-tabling, they're not bad. Hence I think they're not a bad choice for the OP either.

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Playing nanolimit is a great way to learn solid poker.
I'm still learning, everyday, but atleast I've build a roll of $600 learning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good advice. It's best to learn lessons while losing $.50 a hand, vice $25 a hand. With $50, I'd start out at .05/.10, get comfortable, learn, move up slightly.

Occasionally take a shot at .25/.50. However, you can still dump $20 in a bad .25/.50 session.

The problem with SnG's is that you can play awesome and still get taken out by some donk and finish just out of the cash. I placed 1/2 in 7 straight, then went on a streak of 10 out of the cash. I still occasionally play a SnG, but I'm just a better cash/ring game player.

Why is everyone in a rush to get to 20/40?

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

I have a $50 Bankroll(almost $60 in 9hrs of playing time) and am playing .05/.10 LHE at pokerstars. How big should I get my bank roll before I consider moving up to .10/.20? I also like to play NLHE, but haven't, yet. Should I mix it up or stay with LHE? Should I stay away from sng's and tourney's for a while?

Thanks
Bill

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Why is everyone in a rush to get to 20/40?

[/ QUOTE ]

Because I'd rather earn enough at the table to live off of rather than maybe on a good day earning enough to tip the dealers and put a few bucks toward gas?

But I agree that working one's way up patiently is worth the effort. Hell, I got depressed yesterday because the back of GSiH says Ed Miller worked his way from beginner to pro in 1.5 years. I've been at it that long and don't have the roll to go above $2/4 live and maybe $1/2 when I feel brave online.

I'm certainly hoping Ed devoted more hours per week as a beginner than I've succeeded in doing!

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Bill:

I've always thought this post by (now) Gregatron is excellent:

Building a bankroll

Re: $50 bankroll question
 

Thanks Aheravi,

That answered a lot of questions. I'm going to try and follow it as close as possible.

Bill