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Thread: Where's Your Bankroll?

  1. #1


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    Where's Your Bankroll?

    Hi all,

    I was curious as to how people generally manage their bankroll off the tables. To illustrate what I mean, my own example:

    1) I keep about two "trip bankrolls" in cash on hand at all times. This is about 10% of my overall bankroll.
    2) About 40% is in the stock market. This actually isn't as liquid as it should be, as I sometimes run into conflicts with work that forces me to hold positions a certain length of time/avoid some positions entirely.
    3) 40% bank. Not much to say here, other than I know this much of it definitely shouldn't be here.
    4) 10% alternative investments

    I don't own real estate, though everyone and their brother tells me I should. Aside from the liquidity issue, I don't like being tied down geographically and being an absentee landlord and renting out the place sounds like trouble to me.

    I'm 100% sure my method is not optimal. How do you all manage your rolls and do you have suggestions on how I can better manage my own?

    Thanks much.

  2. #2


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    Well there's the shoebox and the sockroll.

  3. #3


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    I am totally debt free. BJ bankroll is approx 200k, and for practical purposes, is seperate from all other assets. This is to keep the wife happy.

    Having said this, approx 70k is mixed in with personal investments. If ever I needed access to this, I could easily access a 0 balance credit line. I occasionally access a safety deposit box to add to or draw down. Currently has about 50 k. Don't access it very often as that tends to be a banking red flag. As a non US resident, I have about 25 k in a US Dollar account at a foreign bank. I also have an account in this foreign banks US subsidiary. I can transfer money between the 2 from my desktop. There are 3 purposes for this. Firstly, it makes no sense to pay bank fees to exchange USD for my currency only to duplicate those fees for the repurchase of USD. Secondly, and especially for the likely currency declaration on my return, I can, if necessary, prove the source of my initial gambling dollar. The 3rd is not germain to this post. I have an in home safe, bolted to concrete, which presently holds about 45k. In addition, I generally keep 10-15 k as trip bankroll.

    I've never accessed the money that has been invested. I have, on a couple of occasions, drawn off the safety deposit box. There are no encumbrances on this money.

  4. #4


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    Quote Originally Posted by houyi View Post
    Hi all,

    I was curious as to how people generally manage their bankroll off the tables. To illustrate what I mean, my own example:

    1) I keep about two "trip bankrolls" in cash on hand at all times. This is about 10% of my overall bankroll.
    2) About 40% is in the stock market. This actually isn't as liquid as it should be, as I sometimes run into conflicts with work that forces me to hold positions a certain length of time/avoid some positions entirely.
    3) 40% bank. Not much to say here, other than I know this much of it definitely shouldn't be here.
    4) 10% alternative investments

    I don't own real estate, though everyone and their brother tells me I should. Aside from the liquidity issue, I don't like being tied down geographically and being an absentee landlord and renting out the place sounds like trouble to me.

    I'm 100% sure my method is not optimal. How do you all manage your rolls and do you have suggestions on how I can better manage my own?

    Thanks much.
    I handle this issue in a piramidal way

    Number 1) of your points would be top of the pyramid. I also keep between 1,5 and 2 session bankrolls at hand. If you can play with casino credit, even if short term, or using your one month free credit from credit cards it would be great. I understand for some people casino credit can be out of the question for cover/identity issues and for others the use of credit cards can have extra fees associated that negates the "free credit" idea.

    Numbers 2 and 3 would be the bulk of the pyramid. I use different investment funds, taking care of these factors: Exit comissions / speed of liquid conversion and keeping it more of a mid to low risk portfolio.

    The exit comissions matter since given the variance we all face, the top level of this section must be ready to be withdrawn at all times without extra costs. This goes in hand with the speed at which those investments are back into your bank account.

    The mid to low risk profile means that stocks or any other high volatility instruments are no more than 20 or 25% of this section.

    In he bottom of the pyramid there are medium to long term investments, where depending on the size of your bankroll you could have real state. Personally I don't, mostly I have from 6 months to 3 years investments in businesses or loans.

    Of course all of the above is my personal take on the matter, not what I think is the best for everyone with size of the bankroll, knowledge of financial markets, aversion to risk and general availability of options being important factors.

  5. #5


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    I don't play very high limits so I generally keep only 10% on me for session money. As far as actual bankroll, I have a set amount aside in cash that I have fairly quick access to if I need it. I base my unit sizes on this money.

    I don't count things like investments and property as part of my bankroll.

  6. #6


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    I started out with a shoebox ( did not want wife to know about BJ) and now keep $5k around, have some 7 packets of $5k each in envelopes in Safety Deposit box that is not hard to access. I am still under a $40k BR, play $10 min and $25 min games with a max bet under $200.

  7. #7
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    1/4 at home or in wallet

    1/4 in SDB

    1/2 in checking account, accessible thru ATM

  8. #8


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    I do not currently consider my blackjack bankroll to be part of my overall bankroll. I probably should, but my blackjack BR is currently quite small for 2 reasons:

    1. The overwhelming majority of my investment money is in real estate. I have an LLC devoted to real estate. I own 3 rental properties and am currently "flipping" two other properties. One of those properties is going to be a rental and the other has already been flipped and is currently for sale. The real estate situation in my particular area of the country is just too lucrative to pass up. I may later devote more $ to blackjack, but the opportunities in real estate here are just too good.
    2. The casinos in my locale are, shall we say, "small time" casinos. $25 minimum tables are only available on Friday and Saturday nights and only at some casinos. There are high roller tables available I think but I have not played nor inquired about them yet due to lack of funds.

    When the time comes to put more $ in blackjack, I will definitely start thinking about that as part of my portfolio/bankroll. Until then, I am just shooting for a modest $15-$20 an hour return a few nights a week.

  9. #9


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    Quote Originally Posted by marriedputter View Post
    When the time comes to put more $ in blackjack, I will definitely start thinking about that as part of my portfolio/bankroll. Until then, I am just shooting for a modest $15-$20 an hour return a few nights a week.
    Marriedputter, you've got a good mind frame. I'm curious to see where your AP and real estate investments take you in the near future, you seem very patient, which is certainly am amenity to your interests.
    There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory . -Unknown

  10. #10


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    Quote Originally Posted by mcallister3200 View Post
    I'm a little surprised at the 10% cash figure several have thrown out, that seems low and seems like you're likely to be treating financial institutions like toys.
    While I agree, depending on the banking stability your country it may not be the smartest thing to keep 90% of your BR as banking assets. However, many countries have some sort of public insurance on bank deposits up to a certain amount. So if your bankroll is small enough then there isn't much too worry about and if there comes a time where there is something to worry about you'll see it long before and you'll have plenty of much worse things to worry about.

  11. #11


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    I currently have about 40% as cash, 55% as short-mid term investments and 5% in my bank account. This partition was not particularly planned out. It was only just recently that I made the move to start reducing the amount of my BR just sitting as cash in a safe at home (which is not bolted down ).

    I am glad this thread came up because this is something I have been meaning to look into myself.

    Ideally I would have a set up where all the numbers in most categories would be based on my SD for a particular time frame. I would keep 1-1.5x my biweekly SD of my bankroll in cash/bank account. Of that, I would ensure that I had at least 2 session rolls (which would be based on the SD for my average session time) in cash and withdraw from the bank as needed. I would keep 1-2x my quarterly SD, less what I have in cash/bank, in liquid short-term investments. The rest I would throw in mid-long term investments.

    The time period stuff is a little arbitrary, but it has the idea. I would tweak things as I try them out and read more on the subject.

  12. #12


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    Call me crazy but I keep "Investments" and "bankrolls" separate. I have multiple banks and multiple accounts within those banks for a reason. I have an entire interest earning checking account dedicated to "bankroll and trip expenses". That is where 95% of my bankroll stays, the other 5% is in my wallet or divided up between my personal safe in my house and my wallet.

  13. #13
    Senior Member Jabberwocky's Avatar
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    My home safe is rigged to a cannister of C0. You better be wearing a gas mask if you tamper with it.

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