to start solid bankroll: limit or no limit?

[luckycharms]

Ok, I've got a problem. I need to establish a solid bankroll and I'm a pitifully broke high-school student (but, yes I am 18). Until I get a summer job, I can't put more than $50 of mine online, and even that would hurt really badly if I lost it. If you can accept that much, I need some help with a decision.

I play no-limit better than I play limit, but limit is more stable. Therefore I need to decide between the two for building up my bankroll. I think my main problem right now is playing cowardly because I'm too afraid of losing it all. Anyways, which do I choose? The one that I am better at but is more volatile, or the stable staple? Thanks for the advice.

[Ponks]

I'd wait till you get your summer job. At just $50 you can have a bad couple hours and lose it all and be playing fine the whole time. But if you must play, I'd suggest .5/1 limit.

[bicyclekick]

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, I've got a problem. I need to establish a solid bankroll and I'm a pitifully broke high-school student (but, yes I am 18). Until I get a summer job, I can't put more than $50 of mine online, and even that would hurt really badly if I lost it. If you can accept that much, I need some help with a decision.

I play no-limit better than I play limit, but limit is more stable. Therefore I need to decide between the two for building up my bankroll. I think my main problem right now is playing cowardly because I'm too afraid of losing it all. Anyways, which do I choose? The one that I am better at but is more volatile, or the stable staple? Thanks for the advice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I started with 50 and have turned it into thousands. I also played above my bankroll (started at .5/1 for the OIC awhile back).

Play 1 table at a time super micro limit...like .1/.2 or something.

Spend a lot of time analyzing your game/posting hands. You'll gbe alright.

[thirddan]

find a site with ultra micro limits...Pacific has .10/.20 and UB has even lower, i think Stars might also have low games...50 will be plenty to start at those limits...i think playing .50/1.00 is a mistake since one/two bad sessions and you can say goodbye to your 50 bucks...

[george w of poker]

why do you say limit is more stable? no limit has a LOT less variance. that said your bankroll isn't really big enough for any kind of healthy win rate, limit or no limit.

however, i started with $50 and turned into a bankroll within a month. honestly, i'm not sure how it happened. i must have gotten a little lucky. but, i will say that i never played with less than 150 bb's when i was playing limit at first. that would be suicidal. if you have a small bankroll and it won't kill you to go broke you can do it like that. but if you have a bankroll worth protecting i wouldn't play with less than 300bb's and 400 would make me feel a lot better.

so, if i were you, i would play at 5c/10c on stars or something until you've learned the game then move up quickly . if you lose your roll you can always replinish it in the summer. working a week full time would give you enough to play .5/1 comfortably. and if you don't lose it and do build it up somewhat, you should then protect it and not play above your bankroll or your skill level.

[jumpthru]

How does NL have less variance?

[siccjay]

I'm gonna go against most here and say read up on table selection and find you a good .5/1 table on Party....you can't go wrong if you just make good choices.

[jasonHoldEm]

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and even that would hurt really badly if I lost it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rule number one: Don't gamble with money you can't afford to lose.

But since I was 18 once ( [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] ), and know that you'll probably ignore my advice, find someone who is willing to kickback a refer a friend bonus to you, this should effectively double your bankroll (or there abouts) and then you can cash out your initial $50 investment and have a freeroll.

Good luck,
jHE

[EVIL]

If all you have is $50 then I suggest you play the micro NL games on sites such as Paradise or Stars. UB also has such games but the waiting lists can be long.

Finding tables with lots of bad players at the micro NL games should be easy, and they will provide you with a low-variance hourly rate that, while not very much, will be significant compared to your bankroll of $50. Just play tight, solid ABC poker. You should be able to turn your $50 into a $200-$300 bankroll in a reasonable amount of time, especially if you multi-table.

I do not think you should play at .5/1 limit. It will be too easy to lose the entire $50.

In my experience limit is not generally more stable than NL, at least against bad players. Sure, you will occasionally lose your stack, but you can punish loose-passive players severely for their tendency to routinely call big bets/raises with marginal hands, and this extra reward will more than make up for the extra risk. Also, keep in mind that in a cash NL game, if your stack is only a small % of your total bankroll, then there is no special significance to losing your stack. All that matters is whether you got your chips in with the best of it.

[deacsoft]

I say take the $50 dollars and purchase a couple of poker books like Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones. Educate yourself and spend the next couple months just studying. Spend a lot of time here on 2+2 and learning as much as you can. By the time your summer job rolls around and you have enough money to buy in with a reasonable amount you'll be able to make more educated decisions and thus better build your bankroll. School before play = school before poker.

I also agree with the general statement that when you play with money you can not afford to lose you won't play as well as you can. This doesn't mean you can't win but why turn $50 in to $70 right now when you can wait and turn $50 in to $300 in a few weeks? Investing $50 in poker education will pay for it's self 1000s of times over if you...

a)buy good material. There are a large number of book reviews on this site.

b)read and reread the materials until you fully understand the contents. if you have questions regarding the contents post them here and we will all help you out.

c)correctly apply the contents of the material. again, posting any questions or concerns here can aid you in doing so.

Hope this helps and hope to see you at the tables in a few weeks. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]