My Advice for Beginner Bankrolls (Jude)

Since I've had the weekend off, which is very rare, I was able to play some poker. Yay! It's been a fairly profitable weekend, too, giving me some writing material for this blog. Double yay!

So, the Poker Enthusiast wanted my take on learning a new game on a limited bankroll (less than $30 when I started!) and I'll be sharing my thoughts on that today.

When I first started playing Razz, in October I believe it was, I chose to try the nightly freerolls on Full Tilt. Someone asked me why in the world I would play freerolls when I had money in my account. The obvious answer was that since I didn't know what the heck I was doing really, I wasn't going to waste any money until I was good and ready.

I think a lot of players make that mistake. They become bored with NLH (and who doesn't, eventually) and decide to try a new game, thinking poker is poker and that they can pick it up easily as they go along. Just play the nightly $5.50 Razz MTT and you too will see many players who don't have a clue how to play the game and yet, there they are, having dropped 5 bucks on a tournament they have absolutely no business playing. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, because I love to see these players, but I am saying, don't let that be you! Know what you're getting into before you spend a dime of your hard earned money, gain some experience in the freerolls first. If you do well in them, then you can move on to the $1.25 sngs.

You may feel a bit like a kindergartener at first, especially if you've been playing fairly medium/high buyin NLH tournaments, but if your ego can take it, I highly recommend this approach. Your bankroll will still be there, waiting for you, too!

After I had some success in the $1 sngs, then I moved to the $2 ones. It was a gradual progression, a slowly-but-surely kind of thing. Now, I play the $5 when I can or the $2 if there are a few people on the list. Today I logged in to find 5 others on the list for a $5 sng, so I signed up for it. It's rare to see a list for these, so I was really happy to see one. Especially, since I ended up winning it!

So, my advice for beginning Razz players is simple and straightforward:

1. Use the freerolls for some experience.
2. Be patient, move up only when you're showing consistent profits.
3. Discuss hands with others who know the game and listen to what they have to say. (The Poker Enthusiast is always willing to talk Razz and offer his advice, which helped me greatly)

That's it. Easy Peasy.

Next time, I'll go over some hand histories and my thoughts behind them.

Good luck at the tables! :)