SL-247
Visionary
Bronze Level
Increasing the limit depends on the bankroll. If your bankroll grows, then you need to increase the limit. If the bankroll falls, then the limit needs to be lowered.What stakes do you feel most comfortable playing? And what do you think it would take for you to move up in stakes? Or is it better to stick with what you know, like an old comfortable pair of shoes? Share your thoughts.
Thanks to @Mortis for this topic suggestion!
19aleks57
Legend
Platinum Level
I play mostly online poker and build my bankroll in these tournaments, sometimes I go to tournaments with a buy-in of up to $5, if I fall then softly, if I get into the money then more than in freerolls, I am not going to change these shoes, they are always in the plus.
istbno
Rock Star
Platinum Level
Moving up in stakes in poker requires careful consideration of several factors. Firstly, ensure you have a solid track record of consistent profitability at your current level. A general rule is to have a sufficient bankroll, usually 20-30 buy-ins for cash games or 50-100 buy-ins for tournaments, for the next level. Assess your skill level and comfort with the new stakes, ensuring you can handle the increased pressure and competition. Additionally, consider your overall game strategy and whether you've mastered the nuances of your current level. Moving up should be a strategic decision based on both financial stability and skill improvement.
Matt_Burns88
Legend
Bronze Level
I could write pages and pages on BRM and how it should be adjusted depending on your situation and aspirations within the game, but this is just me.
I aim to play tournaments so that my bankroll is more than 100 average buy-ins (ABI). That means that say I have $500 in by BR, I'm not restricted to a max buy-in of $5, but I aim to keep a session of 5 tournaments at a maximum of $25 or a session of 10 tournaments at a maximum of $50. This allows me to a) be more selective in the tournaments that I play (better structures, or softer fields, etc.) and b) take calculated shots at higher buy-in tournaments, without blowing my BR if those shots don't work out. This gives me the best opportunity to grow my BR, while keeping the risk of losing it all as low as possible. I NEVER buy-in to a tournament for more than 5% of my BR.
In terms of when to move up stakes, I would take shots, the moment the next buy-in level is less than 4% of my BR. So if the next buy-in level is $30, I would take a shot as soon as I got to $750, but if that didn't work out, I wouldn't be able to take another shot until I got to $750 again. The reason, I say 4% instead of 5% is that I don't want to be taking shots at an unknown level at the absolute limit of my BRM.
Very occasionally, I might adopt what I call a hybrid approach to BRM where I essentially sell action to myself. Let me explain...
Say I have that same $500 BR. My absolute maximum buy-in would be $25, but there is an online series on and there is a juicy $50 game that is just full of fish that have satellited in from hundreds of $1 satellites. My BRM would say I can't play this game, even though I reckon have have a fairly decent edge over the average of the field. I would seriously consider selling action, but not to a bunch of other people, who are going to profit from my edge, I would sell it to myself from my real world money or my "life roll". I would deposit $25 to the poker site and split the action 50/50 between my poker bank roll and my life roll. Say I do really well and end up bagging $500, I would then return $250 to my life roll and increase my poker roll by $250. If things don't go to plan, I have only lost $25 from by BR and I will have to play more $1 and $2 games to help average that out and reduce the variance, and I've only lost $25 from my life roll, which is not significant enough to be a problem.
Note; I keep my poker bank roll and life roll as two completely separate things. I keep very strict BRM to ensure that I never have to deposit from my life roll. I sell action to myself a maximum of twice a year, almost as a treat to myself. If you're regularly selling action to yourself, then it can quickly become a dangerous situation where you are essentially bankrolling poker from your life roll and that is not a healthy situation to be in.
I aim to play tournaments so that my bankroll is more than 100 average buy-ins (ABI). That means that say I have $500 in by BR, I'm not restricted to a max buy-in of $5, but I aim to keep a session of 5 tournaments at a maximum of $25 or a session of 10 tournaments at a maximum of $50. This allows me to a) be more selective in the tournaments that I play (better structures, or softer fields, etc.) and b) take calculated shots at higher buy-in tournaments, without blowing my BR if those shots don't work out. This gives me the best opportunity to grow my BR, while keeping the risk of losing it all as low as possible. I NEVER buy-in to a tournament for more than 5% of my BR.
In terms of when to move up stakes, I would take shots, the moment the next buy-in level is less than 4% of my BR. So if the next buy-in level is $30, I would take a shot as soon as I got to $750, but if that didn't work out, I wouldn't be able to take another shot until I got to $750 again. The reason, I say 4% instead of 5% is that I don't want to be taking shots at an unknown level at the absolute limit of my BRM.
Very occasionally, I might adopt what I call a hybrid approach to BRM where I essentially sell action to myself. Let me explain...
Say I have that same $500 BR. My absolute maximum buy-in would be $25, but there is an online series on and there is a juicy $50 game that is just full of fish that have satellited in from hundreds of $1 satellites. My BRM would say I can't play this game, even though I reckon have have a fairly decent edge over the average of the field. I would seriously consider selling action, but not to a bunch of other people, who are going to profit from my edge, I would sell it to myself from my real world money or my "life roll". I would deposit $25 to the poker site and split the action 50/50 between my poker bank roll and my life roll. Say I do really well and end up bagging $500, I would then return $250 to my life roll and increase my poker roll by $250. If things don't go to plan, I have only lost $25 from by BR and I will have to play more $1 and $2 games to help average that out and reduce the variance, and I've only lost $25 from my life roll, which is not significant enough to be a problem.
Note; I keep my poker bank roll and life roll as two completely separate things. I keep very strict BRM to ensure that I never have to deposit from my life roll. I sell action to myself a maximum of twice a year, almost as a treat to myself. If you're regularly selling action to yourself, then it can quickly become a dangerous situation where you are essentially bankrolling poker from your life roll and that is not a healthy situation to be in.
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christovam
Legend
Platinum Level
A sign would be to stay in hands after the flop that you missed. There are players who stay in a lot of hands after missing the flop. They think that by calling more bets the saving card will come and win the pot for them. Sometimes this works, but usually you end up losing money.
What I mean is staying in the hand for the right reasons. Good poker players win more pots than average players, and the way they do that is by staying in the pot after the flop and finding ways to win them.
However, this requires some judgment, as usually, in these situations, folding will be the best choice. So you can know you're improving when you can clearly see the types of hands you should stay in and the ones you should fold to
What I mean is staying in the hand for the right reasons. Good poker players win more pots than average players, and the way they do that is by staying in the pot after the flop and finding ways to win them.
However, this requires some judgment, as usually, in these situations, folding will be the best choice. So you can know you're improving when you can clearly see the types of hands you should stay in and the ones you should fold to
Flyer35
Legend
Platinum Level
I wish I were professional enough to answer with some degree of authority. Truth is I generally play whatever is available when I want to play. Lower stakes, higher stakes - my play doesn't change much but I do notice a difference in how my opponents play. So I will try to adjust to that. But, I have such a defeatist attitude when it comes to 'luck' I've convinced myself that it really doesn't matter since my luck is so bad.
RENEY444
Visionary
Platinum Level
I play tiny stakes online for fun and plan to stay there .The players on ACR are too good at every level; at least I am not winning at anything but the freerolls ! At a real casino in California the house drop is almost unbeatable at small stakes .They take 4 dollars every flop even if the pot has only $10 total and 1 or 2 more when it gets bigger .You have to play $5/$10 or bigger to overcome that . That means a buyin and bankroll more than i care to risk !I could afford to lose several thousand financially , but it would ruin me mentally , and i sure wouldnt want to go back the next day !
MTCashman
Legend
Loyaler
I think it's different for everyone, some people say to give yourself 100 buy-ins for variance which is definitely a safe bet. However I think if you are confident and feel you have an edge at the stake you are moving up to you can do it with significantly less. You do want to leave yourself with at least 10-20 buy-ins though for variance sake. I used to start with a $25 bankroll on most sites and would grind $2-$3 games and never had a problem building a bankroll from that but obviously the higher stakes you move up the harder the games. Don't hesitate to drop down a stake if your bankroll is dwindling.
AKQ
Legend
Bronze Level
I love the super bounty
FT pays only
ms_attack
Visionary
Bronze Level
Moving up in the stakes is one of the hardest things to do in poker. I've been trying to build up a bankroll for years, but always fail to stick to bankroll management and regularly go bust as a result. It's really not easy to follow. Somehow it makes no difference to me whether I play NL2 or NL100, as I don't have the money/chips in front of me it makes it incredibly difficult. But I don't feel worse or more comfortable at any of the stakes. I just can't deal with losses. Unfortunately.
DiazPoker3101
Visionary
Platinum Level
I believe that the most important factors for leveling up are your bankroll and the time you have to play. Often, you have to make uncomfortable decisions, but if you have a bankroll that supports you, you don’t hesitate when it comes to making decisions.
iwont20
Legend
Loyaler
When both your bankroll and you winrate on your current limit tell you the same thing - that's when you move up the stakes. Sometimes, winrate is good, but BR is insufficient, then you can take risks if you have an ability to add to your bankroll from non-poker sources if needs be. Taking shots occasionally, if your winrate is good or if you used to play higher but made a withdrawal, is also fine, but with a sober approach, in moderation, and with a plan (stop loss).