Bankroll Management comes up a lot in the world of poker; many people have different views and opinions on it. Here I will explain how I manage it and offer advice to players.

Firstly you must treat poker like a business and keep records of all your games, you shouldn’t play poker for the perks (travelling, no boss, getting up when you want) this can lead to disaster. Treat it like a business not a vacation. Also make sure you have adequate skills and bankroll to give yourself a fighting chance of being successful, after all you shouldn’t play with money you can’t afford to lose.

Another main thing with poker is you have to decide what role poker will take in your life, many people think they can quit their job and become a Millionaire by playing poker, all though this is true only a small percentage do. I strongly believe that poker should be played for fun.

To start with you should keep your poker bankroll and your personal economy separate. If you lose your whole bankroll at poker you will want to try and win it back straight away, this is bad as your mindset is negative and under stress. Poker games are going 24 hours a day whether it is on the internet or in a casino, why not come back when you are at your sharpest and relaxed.

The difference between a winning and losing player in my opinion is knowing when to stop when you are losing. When starting a session online or at a casino set yourself a limit, if you lose X amount you stop, if you win X amount you stop, this will bring discipline to your game.

When I started playing poker I had no idea how to manage my poker money, I learned the hard way. The main thing I learned was to play within a level where I wouldn’t care if I lost. You have to detach yourself emotionally from the game; play at a level where the money is almost meaningless to lose but at the same time is nice when you win. You have to become numb and realize that results are stupid, it’s all about your play not the end result. If you make the right plays and correct decisions, why does it matter what cards fell? You lost? Big deal. It happens and that’s poker, there is always a percentage that the best hand will lose, and that percentage came through. Today I play to improve and make the best decisions I can, if I do that the money will inevitably come if I do that.