Blackjack Bankroll Requirements
When it comes to the game of blackjack, bankroll management is just as important as it is in any gambling experience. Your bankroll is the amount of cash you choose to bring to a live or online casino. A blackjack bankroll is the amount you are willing to spend playing a session of blackjack.
A Kelly bet is not just bankroll.HA. So a Kelly bet with a 1.5% edge and a $5500 roll would not be $82.50. A full Kelly bet is (bankroll.HA)/variance. And variance depends on the game, bet ramp, etc. But maybe a good rule of thumb would be to multiply by.75 or so for the variance. A better option is get a sim. The Parlay Betting Method - If you're a beginner with a small bankroll then there are few better ways to win a lot of money without having to stake a lot of money Flat Betting - Simple, effective and a great starting point for anyone just starting out in the blackjack world.
In this article, we’ll discuss four key elements that, when collaborated, will result in proper blackjack bankroll management.
Blackjack Bankroll Management – How Much to Bring to the Table
Your blackjack bankroll should consist of only the amount of cash you can afford to lose, not every penny you have in the bank. Proper bankroll management is not just about making your bankroll last, but ensuring you do not cause yourself problems in your financial life because you can’t control your betting habits.
Choosing a Table Limit
When you first walk into the casino and approach the blackjack tables (or when you are clicking your way to a blackjack online table), the first thing you want to look at is the table limits. The able limits will reveal the minimum and maximum allowed bets at the table. The size of your bankroll should directly affect the table limits you choose to play.
You obviously don’t want to be seated at a $100-$500 blackjack table if you’ve only brought $100 blackjack bankroll. In fact, you wouldn’t even want to start at a $10 minimum with this size bankroll. A proper bet size is one that allows you to make a minimum of 20 wagers, so with a $100 bankroll, you would be looking for at most a $5+ table, if not a 1+ table.
Locking in Profits
If you’re just playing for the entertainment value, with high hopes of winning, but no real concern for losses, locking in profits won’t mean much to you. But if your intentions are to play to win, expecting to walk away with a profit in the end, you’ll want to be saving profits on a regular basis.
Blackjack Bankroll Management
To keep your bankroll restocking itself, and save profits at the same time, you should split the profit (not the original bet) from every winning hand. Half of the profit goes back into your bankroll. The other half is set aside as sheer profits. This fund is not to be spent, no matter what. When you are done playing through your bankroll, the amount of cash amassed as sheer profit will be your winnings; optimistically more than your starting bankroll was.
Poker Bankroll Requirements
Blackjack Bankroll Management Calculator
Knowing When to Quit
There is a common blackjack term known as “Steaming”. It is a frequent condition suffered by blackjack players, much like poker player who are said to be “on tilt”, where the player loses all control of his normal mental process. Steaming occurs when a player loses a lot of money, or loses a lot of consecutive hands, but isn’t disciplined enough to maintain control over his emotions. A Steaming player will start making terrible decisions, betting haphazardly, ignoring strategies and more often than not, spending more than his bankroll.
The last thing you ever want to do is chase losses by exceeding your allotted blackjack bankroll. If your bankroll consists of money you know you can afford to lose, there is no reason to be so upset over losing it. This is a very important aspect of apt blackjack bankroll management.
About how much will I need to reduce my risk of ruin to 'acceptable' levels (10% or less) with a 1 - 8 spread...$40 being my 'big bet' to start off with?
I've heard that one should have about 150 - 200 times their big bet, which would put me at about 6k to 8k. Though, using half-kelly I guess I'd need about $5,500 (Assuming my high bets are at +4, which yeilds a 1.5% advantage - $82.50 for full kelly, or $41.25 ($40) for half kelly.
It's so tempting to go out with my 2K bankroll, but I don't think that amount justifies a 1-8 spread without a huge risk of ruin. And making less than $3 an hour is just laughable given gas prices, etc.
Should I bite the bullet and wait until I can sufficiently build up my bankroll?
Thanks!,
Dan
EDIT: oh, and I should probably note that my playing conditions are fairly mediocre. The best games available to me are two double deck games, one with fair penetration (about 65%), double 9-11 only, and double after split. The other has good penetration (70%ish), double 10-11 only, no DAS.