Poker Articles

When I sit down at a 3-6 Limit Hold 'em table online, I typically buy in for an even amount of money.  Sometimes it’s $100, sometimes it’s $300, but it’s almost always some round number.  Is there any reason for this?  Sure—it allows me to easily track how much I’m up or down at the table.  It’s not necessary, but it certainly does simplify things.

Most players that come to the table buy in for round numbers as well, just out of convenience, I would guess. Occasionally, however, a player will show up with an odd amount, such as $81.75 or $72.50.  Why would anyone buy in for such an odd amount when the bets are all multiples of $1?

The reason they buy in for that amount, more often than not, is that it is all the money they have left in their account.   When I see this, I always think to myself, “what is this guy doing bringing his entire bankroll to one table?”  Fortunately, I’m not terribly concerned about the bankrolls of my opponents—I’m concerned about my own, so I’m very happy that he’s willing to make such a poor decision!

I wish I could tell you that players who do this all fall into some exact category that makes them predictable, but the truth is their play does vary to some extent.  What I can tell you, however, is that with startling frequency, their play is lousy—they almost always dump all that is left of their meager bankroll to the rest of the table, and if you get some decent hands and are an opportunist, you can be the recipient of their gifts.

I usually try and figure out right away whether a “whole bankroll” player (WBP) is trying to quickly rebuild his roll by playing super-aggressive poker or is playing extremely tight because he’s worried about losing the last of his money.  How to play an overly aggressive player and how to play a particularly tight player are topics that are and will continue to be discussed in other articles, but the main thing to grasp here is that WBP’s are almost ALWAYS playing one of those two styles, and since they don’t have the flexibility in their bankroll to switch it up, they are easy to beat.