Monday 18 February 2008

Rule 27: Get a bigger bankroll.

Failure to have a big enough bankroll is a common failing in poker. It can
lead to all types of adverse effects: the feeling that every hand is a В«life or
death matterВ», overly-emotional play, temper tantrums, mood swings and
so on. Having an adequate bankroll allows us to suffer the natural swings of
fortune that take place, and it lets us do so with composure and equanimity.
One ought to try to get one's poker bankroll to a large enough amount so
that the outcome of any one hand (or session) has no effect whatsoever on
one's play.
Without an adequate bankroll, we tend to inject emotion into these
fluctuations that occur. Having our heart and soul riding on each hand
magnifies them and makes them larger in our mind than they should be.
Take away this emotion, and things once again resume their natural place in
the bigger picture.

«Don't fly too high above your bankroll, for that is when you'll live and die
with each pot. or at least with each session. Obviously, when each bad beat
has so much significance to your financial well-being, you can't help but be
affected».