[Backstabr]

Having a sufficient bankroll (300-500BBs, depending on who you ask) minimizes your risk of ruin (the chance that a prolonged run of bad cards will zero your roll). Unless you depend on poker for income, this doesn't matter much.

For us recreational players, figures like 300BB serve as an indirect but objective measure of skill. I've seen some posters here say that 100-150BB roll will suffice for, say 10/20 stud8. Doubtless they say this because they've not experienced losing streaks that large. On the three occasions that I've take a shot at 10/20, 150BB in hand, I've lost 25BB and then decided my skills needed more honing at the 5/10 tables. (If today's experience at the the 5/10 tables in any indication, I may need to go back to 3/6 [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

I'm all for taking shots: I've discovered that I can beat the 10/20 hold'em game at the nearby casino, despite the aforementioned 150BB roll. It's feels great sitting in front of a pyramid of red chips.

My philosophy: take shots when the limit you play seems easy to beat. Step back down when you roll hits a predetermined limit, assume you lack the skills for the game--time to go reread Zee. Again.