After last week’s column, “Act Like You’ve Been There Before,” there was enough feedback from readers who thought I wasn’t accurately giving credit to different financial situations of players.

The part in particular they took issue with was when I opened the piece with an example of a player excessively celebrating in the first level of a $300 buy-in tournament. My point wasn’t about the buy-in amount of the tournament. Instead, it was about the stage of the tournament.

In the first level of any large-field tournament, if an entrant is running around celebrating, hooting, hollering, and generally making a scene, he or she is doing it as a cry for attention. Alternately, that player’s emotional state isn’t suited for the ups and downs of poker.

I have always been a player who played well within my bankroll and have a lot of respect for other players who have done the same. Through discipline and hard work, they have limited their risk of ruin tremendously, while at the same time, they are successful poker players.

Part of the emotional control I suggested in the previous article comes from playing at a level you are financially comfortable with. If you are playing a $300 tournament with the last $300 to your name, the pressure is tremendous and it is unlikely you can play anything close to your best. The same would be true for someone in a $10,000 event with no bankroll left.

There is a fine line to determining the level where you should be playing. If the number is too big, your odds of going broke go up significantly, even if you are a long-term winning player. The stress of constantly being on the verge of broke makes it difficult for most people to play well and focus on the things they need to be focusing on.

For many, if they play too small, it is hard to stay motivated. I have seen solid winning $5/$10 NL players sit down at a $1/$2 game and bleed off buy-ins because they can’t get themselves mentally into the game enough to play well.

I have never worked off of any hard and fast bankroll rules. Being financially conservative by nature, I was never drawn to play too big too soon and when I have decided to move up to bigger games, I was comfortable from a financial standpoint.

I know there are some great players out there who thrive on the stress and pressure of having a large portion of their bankroll in play. There are no hard numbers to prove it, but my guess is the number of players who get by like this is a very small percentage of the number who have attempted it, went broke, and fell off the map.

Even for recreational players who sit down at a game knowing, at least in some part of their mind, that over the long-run they will lose, it is important to play within a level you can handle. There is nothing wrong with playing at a negative expectation, and there are many reasons players do so. For many, it is simply paying for entertainment, but it is important to experience that entertainment at a level that is sustainable so you can continue playing and give yourself a chance to improve.

Looking back, one of my most memorable moments in tournament poker, and one of the times I have been most excited in poker, was when I won a $100 tournament. At the time, it was the largest tournament I had played that was hosted at a country club. There were fewer than 100 entrants, but for someone very new to the game, making the final table and ultimately winning was a big deal to me. Even then, as a novice to the game, I didn’t do much celebrating. And I certainly didn’t make a fool of myself after winning a pot during the first few levels.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at PokerRoadCourt@gmail.com.