Using your Poker Calculator to Build Your Bankroll
A poker calculator can help keep your strategy in check by constantly reminding you of hands and pots that you really shouldn’t be involved in. Normally a poker calculator is going to keep you on the tight-aggressive corner of the profile grid, and that’s never usually a bad thing be it tournament or ring games.
Most poker calculators have some basic functions that refer to your pot odds and strength of your hole cards. These factors alone can help remind you of how bad a hand like J9os or A7os can really be, especially when confronted with aggression. Any mathematical poker calculator will offer up this kind of information but an empirical poker calculator like Holdem Indicator or Tournament Indicator give you so much more.
While building your bankroll there will invariably be times when you can’t play straight up or have to put a read on an opponent that isn’t necessarily base on your hole card strength. You need some intuitive assistance here, and as you likely don’t have much of that at a bankroll building stage you can absolutely use the features the two tools offer up profiling information as well.
Even as a beginner player you need to start profiling your opponents or you will certainly be leaving money on the table. Some players say this is the hardest aspect of poker but by having a poker calculator on every table monitoring your opponents you are soon going to be able to recognize which players you can makes moves on, which you should call down with marginal hands and which should simply be avoided most of the time.
Now as far as bankroll building goes, your poker calculator will offer up the very best situations to be in a hand. This usually relates to pot sizes and hole card strength but combine those features with profiling and tournament structure decisions you are going to be on the right end of most decisions by taking your time and making good decisions.
Does it always work out? No of course not, but by making good decisions with all of the information in front you, you will invariably be nudge ahead of your opponents by building your bankroll and your skill set at the same time. Using “empirical” poker calculator software is the key to progressing your knowledge, decisions making and online bankroll.
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Free Bankroll Spreadsheets
From "Sun137" - Richard in the Tournament Indicator Poker Forum;
Bankroll Management is one of the most important parts of your poker armoury, but usually the most neglected. Do you drift from game to game, winning and losing, without really setting your proft goals and tracking your progress? Does your bankroll suffer and you don't know why?
If this is you, it is time for a reality check. You need help with Bankroll Management now!
There are many detailed software packages for tracking your bankroll. They cost money, but are they right for you? They may be too complicated, they may not support your site, some will give you better value than others. They may be the perfect choice for you.
If you are on a budget (or even if you are not), try using the Poker Profit Spreadsheet. It requires only a minute after each session to enter summary data and will give you all the key information you need automatically. You can include, omit or change data/formulae as you wish. But the initial hard work is already done for you.
The spreadsheet is a simple guide into the world of proper Bankroll Management - and it is FREE.
Download the blank spreadsheet and also the sample data spreadsheet, then link to the Tournament Indicator forum for a detailed guide on how to use it. I have purchased some of the detailed software packages, but still use this spreadsheet every day. And so should you.
Good luck at the tables - and may your Bankroll grow.
I have attached 4 files (2 Microsoft Works and 2 Microsoft Excel) as I assume if there are people on a budget they may not have Office, only Works - as it comes with most machines pre installed.
Download now:
Excel spreadsheet with sample content
Excel spreadsheet that is ready for your content
Works spreadsheet with sample content
Works spreadsheet that is ready for your content
For more information on how to use these spreadsheets see Sun137's posts at the poker forum www.TournamentIndicatorForum.com