Bankroll Management - PS I hit $400!!

Its been a long week for me this week, what with going back to work after two weeks off and playing poker. My body clock was all messed up as I had been getting up at half past two in the afternoon and going to bed at 6am. By Wedsnesday I had more or less acclimatised, getting up at 7am and bed by midnight, so that on Thursday I could play some poker and increase my bankroll. I needed just $17 to reach my $400 milestone but it took me four long, grueling sessions four tabling at NL10 to get there. This keeps me on course to reach $500 before the end of the month so that I can move up to the heady heights of NL20, as per bankroll management guidelines. I decided to check out what advice there is for bankrolls at micro-stakes on the 2+2 forums (btw 2+2 is a must for any aspiring poker player) and the general advice seems to be to have at least 20 buy-ins for the level you want to move up to and have at least 20 000 hands at the previous level. However should you experience any immediate downswing and lose 2-5 buy-ins then it is best to drop back down a level and build up your bankroll again.

Now I have 20 buy-ins for NL20 but only about 14-15k hands. So I have decided that I shall move up when I either reach $500 or have played 20 000 hands and have at least $400 in my account. This should take into account any variance that I may experience and ensure that I have enough experience to take on the high rollers at NL20. I shall have to be very disciplined when (note the when and not if, my game is so solid thats its just a matter of time now) I move up and be prepared to drop down if I am down five buy-ins after the first week. Broker says that won't happen cos right up to NL50 the players are just as bad as NL10!! Its hard to imagine that there are people out there that regularly play NL50+ and lose, they must put on like $300-500 a month at least onto their online poker accounts to satisfy their sick gambling addiction. You almost have to feel sorry for them really, but as long as there are sharks like me to take their money, meh.

Bankroll currently stands at around $410 (dependant on tomorrow's rakeback).

Also congrats to the Count (Ted Hankey) for winning the BDO Darts Championships at Lakeside, a few miles away from where I live. I really wanted John O'Shea to win as he's never won before but nevermind, there's always next year.