No matter how good a poker player you are, if you can’t handle money in a proper fashion, making money out of poker will be a very hard thing to do. A poker player needs a decent bankroll, and it’s paramount to protect that roll at all times. Here are some quick and easy guidelines to follow on how to manage your poker bankroll:

How many buy-ins do you need to play in a game? Well, the general rule of thumb is the following:

NL Hold’em Cash: 20 buy-ins
Limit Hold’em Cash: 300 Big Bets
Tournaments: 40 buy-ins

So, for example, if you want to sit down in a 1/2$ NL Hold’em cash game, you’ll need 4000$ in the bank. A player who’s playing professionally obviously needs an even bigger roll.

Just follow this simple rule, don’t tilt, and your roll will be fine!

A good hand selection is a crucial part in any solid poker stategy, and in No-Limit Hold’em that ain’t no different. The following chart offers a good overview of which hands are profitable to play at what position.



But keep in mind: although an important part of a poker strategy, hand selection isn’t everything. The most important decisions in poker are made on later streets. Especially in NLHE cash games post-flop play greatly outways pre-flop play.

But still, and I can’t stress this enough, good hand selection is a crucial part of a winning poker strategy.