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TIPS FROM THE PROS
Aaron "GambleAB" Bartley
August 22, 2005
One of the most important poker lessons has
nothing to do with how to play Aces in late
position or how to adjust for the maniac in seat
three. It's how to manage your money in a way that
will make it grow as quickly as possible with
minimal risk.
Some of the most highly skilled players in the
game have gone broke (repeatedly) simply because
they played too high, too fast, too often. How can
we make sure this problem never happens to us? It
isn't a matter of smarts, but rather, one of
discipline.
The most important step is to be honest with
yourself. You should know your relative skill
level at all times. Suppose you're a $1/$2
No-Limit Hold 'em player who's had a great night,
and you're toying with taking a shot at the $5/$10
game. Your bankroll is up to $1,500, but you would
need to bring at least $500 to the table in order
to play comfortably at the higher level.
Why would you risk putting a third of your
bankroll on the table to play in the $5/$10 game?
For starters, your bankroll isn't big enough for
the stake; more importantly, you also need to
consider that the skill level of the $5/$10
players is greater than the competition you're
used to. (That's not always true, of course. There
are some very skilled $1/$2 players and some weak
$5/$10 players, but it's not unreasonable to
assume that the higher-level games are filled with
better players.)
This is where self-control comes in. One
slip-up can spell disaster for a bankroll, and
watching six months of hard work disappear in six
hours of foolish play is enough to crush anyone's
spirits.
The safest course of action is to continue
doing what you're doing. You're beating the $1/$2
game for a tidy profit every week - stay right
where you are. Continue proving that you can beat
the game. While you're doing that, your bankroll
should grow accordingly. Beating a game for six
days is proof of very little. Beating the same
game for six months is better evidence that you
are a winning player.
Start tracking your results. You can buy
tracking software or easily create a database of
your own. Put in all of your information after
each time you play - limits, time at the tables,
profits/losses. Go over your information every few
weeks, both for your recent play and for your
entire poker lifetime. Try to spot bad trends
before they get out of hand. If you've been
playing well at a certain level over a long period
of time, only then should you consider moving up
to the next highest level.
Above all, know where your money is at all
times and how it is being used. Ask yourself,
"Is this too much risk for me considering my
current bankroll?" If the answer is yes, do
the responsible thing and change tables. Months
later, you'll be thankful you did.
Aaron "GambleAB" Bartley
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