Playing Responsibly On The Top Poker Sites

By Author: Kacy Suther
Total Articles: 223
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I have to admit, I didn't start out playing poker the traditional way--and sometimes the old-timers look down on me for this, but I started my poker career by playing on the Internet's top poker sites. I've never been much for casinos or smoky poker rooms, but I like to play poker, and I'm perfectly content playing from the comfort of my home. The key to a thriving poker career, even if it is just part time, is managing your bankroll. All of those offerings of free poker money can be enticing, but if you don't maintain a healthy bankroll you could find yourself, more often than not, digging deeper into your own pocket than you had intended.

Lots of people view poker as a game that requires more strategy than luck, but once the chips are in, and the cards are out there, skill has little to do with it. Despite how well I may have played in previous streaks, there is no telling how the cards may fall, once I'm all in. Hot streaks and cold streaks are merely the effects of variance. Even if I've played a hand exceptionally well, I could still easily lose the pot. There is no way to know when a streak will end. ...
... Variance can last for hours, even days. That's why, when players become wrapped up in a seemingly endless purgatory of losing, they must know how to manage their online bankroll if they want to stay ahead of rock bottom.

Bankroll management is essentially the concept of playing within your financial means. It's simple: you can decrease the effects of variance by playing with just a small percentage of your bankroll. By acquiring free money poker deals, or however you choose to start your bankroll, you can add to it steadily by just using a small amount at a time. That way, you're risking very little of your bankroll while you gradually build it up.

Oftentimes, players have difficulty adhering to the rules of bankroll management. I've deviated from them myself at times, especially when I'm playing on some of my top poker sites. The often false hope of winning hundreds or even thousands can drive even the most disciplined players to sacrifice a big chunk of their account. My personal online poker journey started with a $50 bankroll, half of which was free poker money. I won a few low stakes games and before I knew it, I was in la-la land and began taking bigger risks. In a matter of several months, I had turned my $50 initial bankroll into $2,750! As you can imagine, I was starting to get really excited about poker.

Not two weeks later, I had lost my entire bankroll. You can't imagine the sick feeling you get from losing so much money unless it has happened to you. I wanted to blame it on variance, tilt, anything except my own decision-making! But at the end of the day, in order to feel good about playing again, I had to admit to myself that the main cause of my mishap was my own poor bankroll management. Heaps of real money are transferred from hand-to-hand everyday on the top poker sites. Poker players easily become accustomed to having hundreds of dollars thrown at them, so much that they lose site of reality and the value of a dollar. Always stay grounded. Develop a consistent and conservative bankroll management plan. Take it from someone who knows.