Poker Tournament Bankroll Management


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Poker Tournament Bankroll Management - Multi-table Tournaments

Bankroll management is an important factor in all forms of poker and used by all consistent winners. This involves balancing the risks taken due to the random dealing of cards by only using a small percentage of your total poker money on any one table. Multi-table tournaments have high ‘variance’ – making bankroll management an even more important factor in this environment.

This article will look at multi-table bankroll management & strategy from several angles. Firstly the nature of variance and its affect on your bankroll requirements will be covered. Next we will look at how your reasons for playing tournaments, and also playing style, affect bankroll requirements.

The reason that multi-table tournaments are considered to have higher natural variance than other forms of poker is due to the ‘top-heavy’ payout structure. The rewards on offer are potentially very large indeed, however nature of the games means it is difficult to reach the final tables on a consistent basis. Think of it this way, if you reach the final table just one in 20 times (on average) and win 30 times your average buy-in each time then you are a very profitable player – however those other 19 times may involve just a few small cashes – requiring a large bankroll to ride out the ‘swings’.

It is suggested that 50 buy-ins for the tournaments that you play is a reasonable number for multi-table tournament players. The fact that you will often need to survive multiple all in situations to make a final table mean this will be a rare event. Having a large number of buy-ins has the additional benefit of allowing you to play a positive game without too much concern for the money spent.

Your ‘player type’ will have an influence on your multi-table bankroll strategy. A recreational player who relaxes with the occasional poker tournament may be in a position to reload their account should they go broke. Conversely, an online professional who relies on poker for their income will need a greater number of buy-ins to protect against a particularly bad run.

Finally, your style of play affects the requirements for bankroll management in the tournament environment. Aggressive players who take many risks in order to win may well be more profitable over time – reaching more final tables. However the inherent risk of busting out caused by this style will increase the possibility of long runs of no cashes at all – meaning more buy-ins are required. Players who stick to a solid style, taking big risks only once in the money, will usually make less profit over time as their stack will be small in the run-up to the final table. However this style is less volatile in terms of variance, thus requiring a smaller bankroll.

To summarize, multi-table tournament bankroll management strategy needs to account for the high variance in this form of poker. At least 50 buy-ins for the level at which you play is suggested for long-term profitability. Your player type and your style of play at the tables will affect whether you individually look to have more or less than this number.

Good luck!

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