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The amount of the buy-in you make is a vital issue to consider when you play poker. The range can differ due to certain factors - some of which you can find below.
1. Main factors
In poker, buy-in shows you the amount of money you should pay to buy into a poker game. Usually specific rules set out in connection with the poker buy-ins and the amount of money you are entitled to put on the table and play with. Below you can find some of the factors being considered the most important regarding the amount of the buy-in:
a) Bankroll
The amount of your buy-in will strongly depend on the amount of the bankroll that is available to you. In the case, there is a huge bankroll you have, the possibility of a bigger amount of buy-in (above 100 big blinds) is greater. It is really important to set a rule for you that no matter what the amount of money you put into your poker bankroll is not more than 5% of your money. Remember – just as in almost every situation in life, there are ups and downs in poker as well. What you have gain during some hands you can easily loose only in one. The amount of bankroll shall not exceed such amount that you cannot afford to lose.
The size of your bankroll is also depending on your personality. If you are calm and rational then probably a deep stack strategy would be a better fit for you which needs a bigger bankroll. However, if you are a hot head you ought to have a smaller buy-in to play.
b) Skill level compared to others
Once you decided the size of your bankroll, your skill level is another vital factor that determines the amount of the buy-in. If you have a skill level that brings you to the upper end of the poker players at the give table then it is advised to have a bigger buy-in however, if you are at the lower end then you should do the opposite and have a smaller buy-in (below 50 big blinds).
c) Time to play
Time has always importance – everywhere. Also in poker – if you have enough time to learn and train yourself, because nobody born to be a pro poker player, you can have a bigger buy-in from which you can experience and gain knowledge. If you have less time, you are probably aiming to have as much money as you can have in a short period of time and go for a double-up.
2. Other factors
Moreover, you should also take a look at the rake [3] if you are thinking whether or not to buy-in short or deep. At lots of live cardrooms (also online), there is a very little chance to play in a profitable way if you have a short stack due to the rake that will vanish your profit. Therefore you should carefully examine the given poker room before you sit in.
3. Conclusion
I do hope that the above factors present you a good guide in order to decide based on the above the amount of buy-in you should have. What you really have to keep in mind is that you should enjoy playing poker and honestly you can do it if the money that you maybe lose is not essential to you.
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