The Edge - How to build a bankroll

Some of you play poker just for fun and are not that bothered about winning. If you win it's a bonus, but hey, its not your job, its just a hobby which involves a lot of luck and if the luck is with you, you can win.

However let me tell you one thing. Poker is a lot more fun when you win and when you win consistently. You might only win a bit of extra spending money but over time that is better than losing spending money.

So how do you go about becoming a winning player? Well obviously enough you need to be good at poker. You need to know what the do’s and don’ts are in certain situations. You will need to be aware of how to maximise profit on your winning hands and minimise those losing situations. You must know when to bluff, when to accept you’re beaten, when to gamble. All these things you will pick up through experience. However, there is a lot more to being a winning player than just knowing how to play.

You must only play when you are in the state of mind to play. Primarily that is concerned with tilt. It is difficult to remain at the top of your game when you have been sucked out on or had your trip aces busted by a backdoor flush. That’s understandable. What you should not do though, is to carry on playing if you find you are on tilt. Even in a tournament you can afford to sit out a couple of hands if you think you’re tilted. If you’re playing too many hands, making bad calls or playing irrationally you are probably on tilt. Tilt can turn a winning player into a losing player. If you win £200 for ten sessions and then lose £2000 due to tilt then you are not a winning player. So if you are playing cash and find yourself on tilt, I urge you to be strong and to sit out or better still leave the computer until your state of mind returns to normal. This is a massive factor in being a winning player.

Another discipline you need to master in winning is learning to lose. You cannot always have a winning session. If things are going badly do not chase losses. Accept it’s not your day and save your money for another time when you’re fresh and playing your best. Many players will not even accept a small loss on a session and will continue to play. This often ends in them forcing the action and making bad decisions that cost them money.

It goes without saying that you should not play poker after drinking alcohol. If you wish to do this you cannot expect to win and you must accept that you’re in it just for the entertainment. Do not even look at the software when drunk as you will invariably play. Any gambling when drunk will end in tears. However what is also going to cause you to lose is to play when tired. You cannot make rational decisions when tired and if you feel yourself getting there you should leave the cash game your playing. Obviously you may be tired at the end of long tournaments but the adrenalin will keep you going. You may think that the fish is giving his money away and you should stay despite needing some zzz’s. However this is online poker, there will always be fish so get your head down and don’t come back until your battery is fully charged.

Apart from tilt, tiredness and chasing losses, the two things that will really separate good players from being winners or losers is game selection and money management. Every time you play on Betfair Poker you should be making notes about your opponents. This well help you to decide whether the huge bet on the river is likely to be from a rock who will have the hand it is representing or whether the player is a loose cannon likely to be bluffing you. You might remember the people who play every day but what about the occasional players- after all, they are more likely to be massive fish. Make notes on their playing style, betting habits and tilt potential and you will have the edge when they reappear on your table.

However, it is not when facing these opponents that making notes will really give you an advantage. It is in deciding whether to face them at all! In the days before online poker you would be playing in a casino with only a few tables and if you wanted to play you would be limited for choice. Now the choice is endless and I would say that choosing your table is the most important decision you will make in poker. If you have notes you will know whom the fish are, who are the good players to avoid and whose style of game it suits you to play against.

Money management is very important. You should not play in tournaments or cash games that are too big for your bankroll. At most you should put no more than 5% of your bankroll on the line in any one session at the cash table or 1% in any tournament. The most common reason poker players go broke is in playing in too big a game. It is not that they are not good enough for a higher level. More that they have not got enough money behind them to withstand the bad luck and swings that inevitably will come with poker. Do not have a shot at a bigger game until you have the tank to do so or you will pay a heavy price.

If you can master the disciplines I have talked about, you will be far more likely to finish with more money. If your game is improving at the same time as this then you will be well on the road to being a winning player. And if you’re not bothered about being a winning player, then you're welcome to my home game anytime.