One of the most attractive things about poker is the lifestyle that it enables players to live. We often hear about the top online pros playing for thousands of dollars a hand, and then turning around and partying all night long afterwards. However, the average person needs to be a little more cautious with their bankroll before they’re ever able to live this way. And with so many great players in the game today, you need to be just as good at managing your bankroll as you are with the cards. With that in mind, here are 5 tips for how you can properly manage your poker bankroll.

Stay within your Limits

One thing that a lot of unsuccessful online players do is move up limits before they’re completely ready to do so. And as you might expect, the competition only gets better as the limits increase. So it only makes sense that you stick to a limit until you’ve conquered it before moving on to a higher one. 

Another thing you need to do with regards to limits is make sure that you’ve got sufficient funds to survive the ups and downs of poker. In theory, tournament players should have enough to cover 100 buy-ins at the limit they play while cash game players should have 200 – 300 big blinds in their bankroll.

Don’t Stress over your Balance

Those who are serious about online poker play for one reason: to make money! With this being the case, it’s all too easy to get sucked into the trap of constantly checking your balance several times a day. In the end, this type of behavior will only lead to obsessing over money which is one of the worst things a poker player can do.

Instead of stressing over your cash flow, you should be thinking of poker in terms of chips. When you think of poker in terms of chips you avoid the mentality of chasing losses or playing with scared money. And any successful player will tell you that this is the only way to come out on top financially.

Those who take poker seriously spend countless hours on their computer attempting to make major money. But with all this time spent on the computer, it can be really difficult to stay focused. And poker is a game that requires constant attention in order to avoid making mistakes. 

So if you are somebody who can’t watch TV and play poker at the same time, then turn off the television. Likewise, if you have 3 friends over and are trying to play $100/$200 No-Limit Hold’em at the same time then you’re likely to lose focus along with a lot of money. One more thing you should do to ensure focus is avoid playing the game when you’re bored because you shouldn’t be laying money on the line as a form of entertainment.

Maintain a Good Playing Area

One of the most overlooked factors in online poker is where a person plays the game. Many people are content to play at a cluttered desk with remnants of leftover food lying around. Even worse, some players don’t even consider comfort factors when sitting at their desk or on the couch.

But having a clean playing area and focusing on good ergonomics is sometimes just as important in online poker as what happens on the cyber felt. Make sure that wherever you play is free of clutter, and also ensure that you have a comfortable chair to sit in along with an ergonomically correct computer setup.

Never play when Exhausted or Tilted

Tilt is one of the most over-discussed subjects in poker, but it’s over-discussed for good reason. Tilt is the primary cause of lost bankrolls because players can’t control their emotions in this state and thus make poor decisions over and over again. If you feel yourself getting out of control at the poker table then log off immediately and go do something else before blowing your bankroll.