Let Our Poker Bankroll Calculator Help Choose Your Game

The first step to winning is picking the right game for your skill level - and your poker bankroll. Poker Wingman Pro's Bankroll Calculator calculates the poker bankroll you need for the table stakes so you can make sure you're never short-stacked.

Read Wingman’s poker tips on how to select the right type of game and size up a table before you decide to take your seat.

• Play-money or Real-money
• Poker Bankroll
• Type of Game
  • Limit or No Limit
  • Table Stakes
• Choosing a Table

Play-Money or Real-Money Games

Poker Wingman works on both play-money and real-money Texas holdem poker tables, and it’s a good idea to try play-money tables first so you can learn how to play Texas holdem poker and get to know a particular poker room’s software.

You’ll quickly find that play-money tables are extremely loose especially when it comes to seeing the flop. People play more hands when they are not risking real money. So after awhile it becomes harder to develop your poker strategy on play-money sites, because the strategy is very different than real-money games.

Successful play-money online poker strategy is based on loose preflop play because you can expect a huge payoff if you flop a killer hand. Since people will not simply throw their money at you in real-money games, you need to play tighter preflop and only see the flop with strong hands.

If you’re transitioning from play-money to real-money games, start at a lower stakes table. Just because you’re cleaning up at a $10/$20 play-money table does mean you should move to a $10/$20 real-money table. You’d need a huge poker bankroll just to sit down, and you’d be risking your entire poker bankroll on one game. Remember: Wingmen fly smart.

A good way to play in a risk-free real-money environment is a free-roll poker tournament, where there is no buy-in. Freerolls are essentially play-money tournaments, except there is a cash prize for the top winners. Low buy-in tournaments ($5 or $10) are also lower risk, and people take them more seriously than play-money games. Free-roll and low buy-in tournaments are both a great place to practice your real-money strategies before playing real-money ring games. You’ll be competing with higher caliber players who will help you develop your online poker strategy.

Poker Bankroll

Your poker bankroll is the total amount of money that you’ve set aside to play poker with – kind of like your poker savings account. Your poker bankroll is different from the buy-in, which is the amount the poker room requires to sit down for one session at a particular table. For example, a $1/$2 No-Limit game might have a minimum buy-in of $40, and your total poker bankroll might be $200.

How much should you invest in playing online poker? The golden rule is don’t risk more money than you’re willing to lose. If you’re willing to spend $100 for a few hours of entertainment (beats dinner and a movie) then deposit $100. If you find you love the game you can deposit more money later, and your bankroll will grow as you win more hands.

It’s really important to have the right poker bankroll for the table limit that you want to play. You need enough of a cushion to survive a cold run of cards, and you don’t want to play with “scared money” where you’re hesitant to play aggressively as you should.

Don’t ever risk your entire poker bankroll on one game – if you bust out your poker career is over. Instead, move to a lower stakes game where you have a fat bankroll for that table – and with some room to spare so you can live to play another day.

Poker Wingman Pro includes a Bankroll Calculator that warns you if you’re short-stacked. This poker bankroll calculator automatically detects the table stakes, then calculates the poker bankroll you’ll need to play hard.

Type of Game

In Texas holdem poker, the type of game is described by the Limit and the Stakes. Online poker rooms offer hundreds of different games, and you should evaluate the type of game that is best for your skill level and your poker bankroll instead of just randomly clicking any table in the lobby.

Limit and No-Limit Games

Rookies should start off playing Limit games, where you are playing the cards more than the player. No Limit Texas holdem poker involves more complicated poker strategy, such as bluffing, and has a different set of rules for pre-flop and post-flop play.

Limit Games: In a game of Fixed Limit or Pot Limit Texas holdem poker, your bets are limited to a specific amount, which is referred to as the stakes of game (e.g. $1/2, $5/10). So, for example, if you're playing in a '$1/2 limit' game, the minimum sizes of the bets would be:

• Pre-flop: $1
• On the flop: $1
• On the turn: $2
• On the river: $2

You can't make a smaller bet than the big blind, and all raises must be done in increments of the betting amounts.

No Limit Games: In No Limit Texas holdem poker, there is no limit to the maximum bet that you can make in any betting round. However, there is a minimum bet which is equal to the big blind. Also, the minimum raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. For example, if the first player to act bets $5 then the second player must raise a minimum of $5 (total bet of $10). There is no maximum raise - you can raise as much as you want. However, if you wish to call a bet but don't have the chips to cover it, you'll be 'all-in'. At this point, you’re only playing for the portion of the pot covered by your chips, and the remaining chips go into a side pot for the other players.

Table Stakes

Stakes list the size of the small and large bet units for the table. For example, a '$1/2 limit' game means that the minimum bet is $1 and the maximum bet is $2.

This information is critical and should be used in conjunction with your poker bankroll. If the stakes are too large for your current poker bankroll, chances are you'll be uncomfortable playing so move to a different game with lower stakes. On the flip side, you should also consider whether the stakes limit is too small for your poker bankroll. If it's too small you may be tempted to play rather carelessly - and that can wreak havoc on your poker bankroll.

Poker Wingman Pro includes a Bankroll Calculator that automatically reads the table stakes and tells you if you’re short-stacked or ready to fly.

Choosing a Table

When deciding which table to play at, you should first evaluate the game. Some games are tougher than others - even though the table stakes are the same.

But how can tell if you’ll have an edge before you even sit down at a table? The information listed in the Poker Room software gives valuable clues. Once you understand what these numbers mean and how to use them to your advantage, you can pick a table that increases your chances of winning.

The Lobby in the poker room software lists all the tables currently running on the site. Listed beside each table you'll find important stats that provide you with a good understanding of the table and its players:

Players: Look at the number of players currently sitting at the table, and the total number of seats at the table. For example, if you see a table that has the figure "9/10", that means there are currently nine players sitting at a table that has ten seats.

This number is much more important than it seems, as it gives you some insight into the type of game being played. If a table has five or fewer players at a ten-handed table, then you are actually playing in a Short Handed game, which requires different poker strategy and poker tools than a game with six or more players.

Average Pot: Look at the average of the total pots for the last few hands, and compare it to other Average Pot figures for other tables with the same betting stakes. This will tell you whether the table is Loose or Tight.

If it has the lowest Average Pot of all the tables in its limit, then you can usually assume that it is a tight table - and one that you may want to avoid. If the Average Pot is larger than most of the other tables in the same limit, that typically means the table is a little Loose. A Loose table tells you that your opponents are playing too many hands, which gives you the advantage as you will be playing more premium hands.

Percentage of Players Seeing the Flop: This is an extremely important figure when combined with the Average Pot column. It gives you an estimation of what type of action is happening at the table. Typically, if a full 10-handed table has more than 40 percent of the players seeing the flop, this can be characterized as a Loose game, and you can create a competitive advantage by playing more premium hands.

Players Chip Stacks: Look at the list of all players currently sitting at the table, and the amount of chips that they have. This info gives you an indication as to the type of table and the nature of the players who are seated. How? Typically, players tend to buy in for the amount recommend by the software for that table limit. Therefore, if you know that the recommended buy-in for a table is $50 and that most of the players have stacks of $75 or more, you may be looking at a relatively tough table where the players seated have been winning consistently from weaker players who have already left.

Buy Poker Wingman Pro and get the Poker Bankroll Calculator to ensure that you're selecting the right game for your bankroll. Observe Your Opponents