In my last article I talked about the importance of a Poker Bankroll to make money playing poker. Now every bankroll has to start somewhere, and I realize that not everyone wants to immediately throw a large amount of money into something where they might risk losing it.
Many people are obsessed with making money playing poker online completely for free - that is without any initial investment. For these people the obvious answer is to build a bankroll from scratch, and that is only possible by playing online poker and gradually working your way up the limits. It is important to follow these guidelines and not play above your bankroll at any time while doing this. By developing a bankroll from scratch using these methods, you will also cultivate proper methods in keeping a separate poker bankroll.
Level 1 - $0.00-$5.00
At this level the only thing that you can really play in are freeroll tournaments. Freeroll tournaments are offered by most online poker sites and allow you to win a small amount (ranging from a few cents to a few dollars) by grinding your way through a usually large crowd of competition.
I will cover specific freeroll tournament strategy in my next article.
Level 2 - $5.00-$20.00
At this level you can begin to play in low buy-in ($0.50-$0.60) Single Table Tournaments (also known as STT's or Sit 'N Go Tournaments) and micro-limit ($0.01/$0.02) cash poker games. Keep in mind that you don't want to play in no limit cash games yet, only limit games.
Your bankroll really isn't even big enough to be able to reliably make money yet at this point so don't be surprised if you run into a swing of bad luck and find yourself at $0 again. Don't give up! Grind freerolls again for a while and get back on track! If anything you'll have gotten better at the game for the experience.
Level 3 - $20.00-$50.00
At this level you may start buying in to slightly higher buy-in Sit 'n Go tournaments ($1.00-$2.50 or so). You may want to wait until $30 or $40 before you start buying in to $2.50 buy-in tournaments however.
Level 4 - $50.00-$100
By this point you're really starting to get the hang of things and should have a solid grasp of the game. You should continue playing in the same STT's and may even move up to the no limit micro-limit games. It is also possible to buy into low buy-in ($1.00 or so) multi table tournaments (MTT's) now, though it shouldn't be done often. Good luck!
Level 5 - $100-$500
From here on out you can play in micro-limit no limit cash games and at around $300 you can also start buying into the $5-7 buy-in STT's. Most of your money here will probably be milked from the awful players you can find at the $0.05/$0.10 and $0.10/$0.25 micro-blind no limit cash games, though STT's are also a viable source of income. You may start to play in multi-table tournaments with a higher buy-in or $3-5, though you still shouldn't do so very often.
Level 6 - $500-$1,000
From here on out you just gradually move up the limits. You can play in $0.50/$1.00 limit games as well as $0.25/$0.50 no limit cash games. You can buy in to STT's with a buy-in as large at $10.
That's pretty much it. Once your bankroll gets large enough, just continue moving up the limits very gradually.
Some people would be tempted to go and play $15/$30 limit hold 'em or sit down with $100 at a $1/$2 no limit cash game. Don't be one of those fools, and don't overextend your bankroll. The most frustrating part of building a bankroll from scratch is at the beginning, when you need to play in freerolls and can get subjected to a lot of bad luck and bad beats. It may take a month or even two to get that first crucial $5 in your account, but once you do it's well worth it.
Always keep in mind, the #1 reason that people consistently fail to make money playing poker is because they play at higher limits than their bankroll can handle. Play poker for the long haul. Play poker like a pro.
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