If you don’t control your bankroll, poker will control you and before you know it, you will be broke. But the good news is, it’s a controllable risk.

For limit poker, a bankroll of 300 x the amount of the big bet is generally seen as a good starting point. But, you must first be aware if you are a tight, solid player or a loose, gung-ho type.

You must also decide what limit you feel comfortable playing at. Generally speaking, your swings will be higher in smaller limit games. Therefore, a loose low-limit player should start with more than the 300 x guideline.

No-limit hold’em is a game where you should have a lot more money. You need to be able to lose for days on end and still have enough to get back into the game. Don’t play with scared money! Most pro cash players use the ‘5% rule’ for their choice of game. If they have £20,000 they can sit down on a £1,000 buy-in £5/£10 game. Of course, on the internet, you can multi-table using the same rule by spreading, say 30%, of your bankroll over six tables.

If you plan on playing poker as your sole source of income, then you should make your money work as hard as you do. A player should take some of the money to the casino and the rest should be left in the bank – or anywhere else where it can be making a profit.

Everybody’s bankroll will be different. Just remember that it is better to have more than enough; winning a little less than you could have if you played bigger is a lot better than going broke.