 | buy-in to limit games |
It's advice that I've heard many times, but I've been asked the question so often recently I thought I'd post my personal answer here.
Q: How much should I buy in with at such and such limit game?
A: I recommend buying in for 20x the big bet, and carry another 20x the big bet in your wallet. 20x is a big enough amount that if you bust out, there is a very good chance that it is not because of natural variance but because you're a weaker player than the rest of the field. It's also a big enough amount that even if you're a fairly weak player it should last you long enough to read the table. If you do lose your first 20x, you need to ask yourself whether you busted because you got unlucky, or because you got outplayed. If you really believe you can beat the table, re-buy with your next 20x. If you don't believe you can beat the table, find another table. If you're on tilt, take a break, or go to sleep.
20x is also an amount that if you're playing at the limit right for you, a 20x BB loss is not highly injurious to your bankroll, but 40x is a loss you can feel. I really think you need to be playing at that level. So if you're playing $8-16 at the Bellagio, you should be able to roll past a $320 loss, but a $640 loss stings a little. If $320 is too big to endure, you should move down a notch or two. If $640 ain't no thing, move up to $15-30 or above.
This advice isn't as scientific as a Sklansky bankroll analysis, but it's advice that I've personally followed for a long time and really think "feels" right. If you have your own tuppence to add, feel free to chime in.
Great post. I agree. I read somewhere that Annie Duke suggested 30x BB... and if you lose that amount, it's time to end your session and come back the next day.
I usually buy in for 25 BB.
Posted by: Pauly on April 28, 2004 07:11 AMI basically agree with this answer. I think it is absolutely ridiculous when people buy in for 800 dollars to an 8-16 game. It is excessive, and it shows the players inexperience. It is like throwing some blood bags in the water when jumping into a shark tank.
I buy in for usually 700 on a 15-30 game and 400 for an 8-16 game. The reason is that I want to avoid "all ins". When I put my money in, I dont want a portion of the pot. It is too easy to get bullied around with a short stack.
Touche, Jules.
(Jules is backhandedly referring to a recent trip to Vegas in which I bought into an 8-16 game for a little over 2 grand -- I had just won a huge amount at blackjack and was waiting for a seat at the $10-20 NL game in the Bellagio. He cajoled me into joining him at the 8-16 game, and so I bought in for a ridiculous sum and spent about an hour trash-talking the players and generally acting like a complete pompous prick while I downed vodka sodas and kept calling him a professional 1-5 seven card stud player. So when I say that 20x the BB is "advice that I've personally followed for a long time", I should probably change that to say "advice that I've personally followed for a long time, except when attempting to ridicule my friends and pretend that they're pathetic low rollers when in reality they are much better poker players than I am.")
Posted by: jeremy on April 28, 2004 04:37 PMOkay, the comment is better then the post. I think the post is sound advice, but it sure didn't make me laugh like the Bellagio story; which, I am sure was all in good fun.
Posted by: Pokerprof on April 30, 2004 10:55 PMJeremy, You said a $10-20 NL? is NL no limit? I'm not sure what ur saying.
Posted by: jay on September 10, 2004 05:18 AMTo clarify the above comment, Bellagio regularly spreads a $10/20 blinds NL game. Minimum buy-in is $600 - I was there this weekend and the stacks were more in the range of $5k+.
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