How would you build a meaningful bankroll?

  • Thread starter Thread starter nabmom
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nabmom said:
We all love the “rags to riches” idea of starting with zero money and building a full buy-in to the WSOP main event.
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Actually I dont. As I have written many times, I think, this idea of literally starting with zero (not depositing) is a waste of time, and there is no real reason to do it for most people.
nabmom said:
Have you ever successfully built a bankroll?
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Yes multible times.
nabmom said:
What would you include in a plan to increase your bankroll?
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A reasonable starting deposit, reasonable bankroll management and focus on learning and improving, because otherwise you will fairly quickly reach a point, where its a lack of skills rather than the size of your bankroll, that prevents you from moving up further.
nabmom said:
What types of games?
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Cash games, SnGs or small field MTTs. Avoid Spin n Gos, all-in or fold cash games and other casino like poker games. Also mostly avoid large field MTTs due to variance, but it can be ok to play a few of them during weekends.
nabmom said:
Over how long a period?
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Depends on your winrate and the amount of volume, you put in.
nabmom said:
How risky would your plan be?
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The whole point of bankroll management is, that you only risk your initial deposit and ideally not even that.
 
I’d keep it slow and consistent rather than chasing quick jumps. Start with low-stakes cash or freerolls, stick to strict bankroll rules, and move up only after building a solid cushion. The goal is to survive the downswings while steadily improving.
 
nabmom said:
Todos nós amamos a ideia “da miséria à riqueza” de começar sem dinheiro e construir uma adesão total ao evento principal do WSOP.

É claro que existem outras maneiras de construir um saldo robusto. Por favor, compartilhe suas ideias conosco!

Você já construiu um bankroll com sucesso? O que você incluiria em um plano para aumentar seu saldo? Que tipos de jogos? Durante quanto tempo? Quão arriscado seria o seu plano?
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Not yet, I'm starting to do that now. Without a doubt, playing a lot has to be on the plan, games with few players to reduce the variance, play the buy ins compatible with the balance, in order to have a balance and not to deposit, not to be able to break, 500 x the average buy ins seems to be starting to be healthy.
 
I have always built my bankroll from scratch by playing in freerolls. I believe that any player aiming to build a bankroll from scratch—without investing any of their own money—should, first and foremost, become a member of the CardsChat community. From there, step by step, the bankroll will grow, the key is to play regularly.
 
I think it's important to manage money carefully. If someone has $100, they shouldn't risk it all at once. Spending too much at one time can leave them with no money left. It's important to be careful with money instead of losing it all quickly.
 
nabmom said:
We all love the “rags to riches” idea of starting with zero money and building a full buy-in to the WSOP main event.

There are, of course other ways to build a robust bankroll. Please share your thoughts with us!

Have you ever successfully built a bankroll? What would you include in a plan to increase your bankroll? What types of games? Over how long a period? How risky would your plan be?
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Well, I was able to build my bankroll from zero.
I started with freerolls, and Cardschat games helped me a lot.
I knew it could take some time to build a decent bankroll, but after 2 or 3 months I had an outstanding and lucky weekend, turning a $50ish bankroll into more than $300, out of freerolls and a freebuy that lead me to a $109 game.

I was lucky, but something that really helped me was saving every little cash, and stick to games with small buy ins. I only played $0.55 events till then.
 
Great question nabmom!

I have built a small bankroll from zero before via freerolls, and the biggest lesson is: it's not about the money, it's about the discipline.

My plan to build a meaningful bankroll now would be:

1. The Source: I would not deposit and gamble. I would start with freerolls and micro MTTs. All profit goes to ONE separate bankroll, never touch it for daily life. That's the mindset shift from "player" to "bankroll builder".

2. The Games: 80% low buy-in MTTs and 20% micro cash. MTTs have the best ROI for building from small, but cash is needed to practice deep stack play and stop the "shove or fold" mentality. I would avoid high variance games like spin & go or PLO when building.

3. The Rule: Strict 100 buy-ins rule. If I have $100, I only play $1 games. If I drop to $80, I move down to $0.50. Most people fail because they shot-take when they get to $200 and go broke. Boring but it works.

4. Timeline & Risk: I would give it 6-12 months. No rush. Goal is not to make $10k fast, goal is to never go broke again. Low risk plan = higher chance to actually have a bankroll in 1 year.

The "rags to riches to wsop Main" story is nice for movies, but real bankroll building is just grinding $2 tournaments for months and not being ashamed of it.

Have you built yours from freerolls? What was the hardest part to stick to the plan?
 
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