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.
SNG Bankroll Management - 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. To many new players, particularly those who start off on a decent run of results, a 20 buy-in downswing can feel hard to believe. Statistics from millions of games, and analysis of the very best players show that this is actually extremely common. If you play long enough there is a very good chance of a 50+ buy-in downswing in your future, even if you are a solid winning player! There is no need to be too down about this idea - remember you will experience the good side of variance too!
SNG Bankroll Management - Protecting Yourself From The Natural Variance Of Poker Games
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 SNG 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.
$3+30 SNGs - $165
$5+50 SNGS - $275
$10+1 SNGs - $550
$20+2 SNGs - $1100
$25+2 SNGs - $1350
$30+3 SNGs - $1650
$55+5 SNGs - $3000
$100+9 SNGs- $5450
Another key to poker 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. 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.
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SNG Bankroll Management – Smart Players Re-Invest Their Gains
While we all love cashing out and enjoying the fruits of our efforts – the smartest players re-invest their profits in tools to help them make even bigger returns later. There are now many poker software tools available to help you plug leaks, assess opponent tendencies and act as real-time advice and odds calculators. Check out our Best Poker Tools section now for reviews of some of the very best!
SNG Bankroll Managment - When To Move Up Levels
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.
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