Introduction to Bankroll Management for SNGs
Good Bankroll Management is Critical for SNG Success, this article looks at what size bankroll
Sit N Go Players should work with for the most poker profits.
Good Bankroll Management is a critical success factor in any form of poker. In fact poker history is full of examples of great players ending up broke due to not managing their poker bankroll correctly.
Here is the key to good bankroll management in SNGs:
You need to have enough buy-ins to ensure that you do not go broke due to the natural swings (variance) of the game. The question is then - what are the swings that a SNG player can expect?
This will depend on the buy-in level at which you play and your profitability. Large sample-size surveys have found that - statistically speaking - even a winning SNG player will experience a downswing of 20 buy-ins once every 500 games. That is not to say everyone will experience this - the nature of an average means that some people will see less variance while others will see more.
So how can you protect against these swings of fortune? The answer is to ensure you have a big enough bankroll to withstand them. Most Pro SNG players recommend that the minimum requirement is 50 buy-ins for the level at which you play. Others suggest that a 100 buy-in bankroll will effectively shield you from any thoughts / concerns about variance.
Here is what your 50 buy-in Bankroll should look like for the various levels.
$5+50 SNGS - $275
$10+1 SNGs - $550
$16+1 SNGs - $850
$20+2 SNGs - $1100
$25+2 SNGs - $1350
$30+3 SNGs - $1650
$55+5 SNGs - $3000
Another key to bankroll management is your ability to replenish your bankroll should you go broke. For some people, particularly those who play the occasional game for leisure purposes, this is not an issue - they can simply set aside a portion of their disposable income to cover this eventuality. For those people who rely on poker income (for example to see themselves through college) then it is important to maintain good discipline with your bankroll.
A final thought for this introduction is that good bankroll discipline can provide you with an indicator of when to move up SNG levels. The '50 buy-in' rule means that the bankroll required for the next level is easy to assess. If you experience a negative run at the higher level then it becomes easy to drop back down and rebuild before taking another shot.
Related Articles
|
