Small Bankrolls

[Dtb239]

I hate having a small bankroll- I'm a youngster and save all the money I can from my job- that little thought of ROR always pops in my head during those negative variance runs- in tips on ways to increase the bank roll or in creating a team?

[muckz]

*Disclaimer* possibly horrible idea/advice

Well, depending on your motivation to play blackjack. I think in theory you could treat your bankroll as the amount of money you are willing to put towards it throughout your lifetime. Say to hell with having a tangible bankroll. Play with a trip RoR you are comfortable with and disregard everything about bankroll just worry about trip bankroll. Over time you will come out positive (so long as your trip bankroll is sufficient).

Muckz

[bigplayer]

Small Bankrolls need games/plays with bigger edges and/or lower variance. Straight counting is not well suited to small bankrolls unless you have a potential game with low the combination of low table minimums and corresponding low N0's. For example a $5 or $10 single deck game dealt rule of 7 would be a good play for a low roller. An AC style eight deck game is impossible. If you live in Vegas there are games that can be played at low stakes with decent N0...e.g., double deck where you can spread $10 to 2x$60 and probably have a higher hourly rate than most people get playing 2/5 NL Live poker. Likewise, there are enough games of that sort scattered around the city that you can move around playing 90 minutes per shift at a variety of places and probably won't get backed off for a very long time. If you have a job that covers your expenses or a very low to no monthly nut such a game can grind up a bankroll while you network, hone your skills, and look for a bigger score.

Aside from that it's important to remember that income producing investments almost all uniformly require huge magnitude. If you want a big windfall with a small bankroll you need big edges.

[biggg]

At this level free plays and coupons are going to be a huge portion of your EV. In vegas or AC it is probably worth it to get a players club account at every single casino even if you are just showing token action. Note that I don't necessarily recommend playing rated, just showing some action to get the mailers which will come in for almost any level of play even if they're just $10 or $25.

I get offers from casinos where I have been half shoed. One time I got 300/wk in match plays (which could be turned into slot play, always ask if they will do this as most casinos do) for about 3 months for showing a 1k loss. This goes on to a second corollary, always show a big "loss" everywhere and every time you play unless it would just be embarassingly obvious. Wear clothing suitable for this purpose. To me, if the pit is getting my players card, I'm buying in with cash and showing a loss almost no matter what.

I would recommend most of all learning to hole card carnival games but this is a BJ forum...

[seriousplayer]

Small Bankrolls need games/plays with bigger edges and/or lower variance. Straight counting is not well suited to small bankrolls unless you have a potential game with low the combination of low table minimums and corresponding low N0's. For example a $5 or $10 single deck game dealt rule of 7 would be a good play for a low roller. An AC style eight deck game is impossible. If you live in Vegas there are games that can be played at low stakes with decent N0...e.g., double deck where you can spread $10 to 2x$60 and probably have a higher hourly rate than most people get playing 2/5 NL Live poker. Likewise, there are enough games of that sort scattered around the city that you can move around playing 90 minutes per shift at a variety of places and probably won't get backed off for a very long time. If you have a job that covers your expenses or a very low to no monthly nut such a game can grind up a bankroll while you network, hone your skills, and look for a bigger score.

Aside from that it's important to remember that income producing investments almost all uniformly require huge magnitude. If you want a big windfall with a small bankroll you need big edges.

Bigplayer, I do agree with you that with a small bankroll one needs to play games with a bigger advantage. The sad part is what a small bankroll one will need to take into consideration is their expense. Suppose a player is planning to attack the single deck blackjack games in Northern Nevada area. If you live in the east coast flying to the west coast is costly especially the airfare. If you only have $1000 set aside for expense buying an airfare for $700 is killing yourself. Taking into consideration the expense you might only make a couple of dollars playing a high advantage game.

I have been to Reno and Northern Nevada a couple of times. Some area do have playable single deck games but I am from the east coast. The time and price of airfare is ridiculous!!! Now if you live not too far from those areas where good single deck games are offered it is a plus.