The Bankroll isn’t why most Texas Holdem players fail to make the jump to full-time play.

A lot of people think all they need is a large bankroll to start full-time Texas Holdem play. But the truth is, if you don’t have all the other aspects of Texas Holdem game under control, the only thing a big bankroll achieves is prolong the amount of time before you inevitably go bust.

With that being said, having too small of a bankroll is truly the kiss of death for
professional Texas Holdem players. If you try to make the leap without a bankroll, you’re just one run of cold cards away from going broke.

So once you have the other aspects of Texas Holdem game under control… it’s time for you to start building your bankroll…

A lot of people ask how much they should have in their bankroll before going full-
time Texas Holdem play. Of course, there’s no “universal” amount that will guarantee your success. But when we coach players starting a poker pros, we usually advise them to have at least 300 times the big bet.

So for instance, if you’re going to play the $15-30 Texas Holdem games, you should have about 9k for a decent bankroll. Even then, you’ll be a little short… but you can probably get away with it at this level.

If we had to do it all over again, We’d wait until we had about 500 times the big bet… or 50k for the $15-30 limit or no limit Texas Holdem games.

Personally, we prefer no limit Texas Holdem. And for poker pros, we think no
limit Holdem offers more upside. What we mean is, no limit Texas Holdem players can usually build a large bankroll more quickly than limit Holdem players.

We think that the importance of a sufficient bankroll is best illustrated in this story of one poker pro:

“When I started playing Texas Holdem professionally, I was full of ambition and (like every other poker player alive) I planned of winning the WSOP. I soon realized that taking home a bracelet was less important than making my house payment.

My bankroll was not nearly what it should have been. Every time I sat down, I sat down with about 5% of my stack! I squeezed by for a few months until I caught a cold streak of cards. Literally, I was broke in less than 6 weeks.

I was down to my last tournament entry fee when I finally turned my luck around. I started winning regularly and when I finally had my old bankroll back, what did I do? I started playing LOWER stakes. I learned that you cannot play past your supports and if you do, you are going to get burned.

After playing a couple months at lower stakes, I was able to move back up and haven’t looked back since. I now make a nice living (I’m no Bill Gates) and love what I do so much. If I had brought just one less entry fee with me to Vegas, I would be pushing papers in some office – not working the best “job” in the world.”

Also recommended:

1. Bankroll is the basis of success in Texas Holdem poker
2. How to Build and Keep a Solid Bankroll
3. How to build a great bankroll out of poker and make it grow?
4. Poker Tips: Bankroll Management
5. Understanding Bankroll