Most blackjack articles out there basically focus on how to get started on blackjack, how to win at blackjack, and so on and so forth. However, you have to remember that ultimately winning at blackjack is not about winning the biggest pot. It is about having the most money to bring to the bank at the end of the day. Thus, you can already see the importance of building your own bankroll for the purposes of playing blackjack.

Bankroll Benefits

Many prefer to play serious blackjack using casual rules for managing their money. An example of this would be using money from a personal savings account to directly fund weekly blackjack games. This does not just lead to losses, but it also leads to financial ruin.

Should you ever get completely wiped out or bled dry of chips at the end of one particularly damaging blackjack session, you do not have any safety net to pay for food or rent. even worse is using a credit card, or facility to make regular deposits. Again a recipe for disaster.

Keeping a blackjack bankroll means that it is easier for you to maintain a blackjack-playing lifestyle. It keeps your personal funds, (the money you use for necessities) distinct from your blackjack funds, which is generally a good rule to live by. Even if you get wiped out, your lifestyle is not disrupted, and it is easier for you to pick up the pieces and buy your way back into the game.

Many players wonder why they constantly are depositing money at casinos, and never withdrawing any, well the secret is all in how well you manage the money at any given time. I suggest first of all that you never have all your money in one account/casino. There are several reasons for this.

Have a few casino accounts where you can play, so if one casino is giving you bad/losing cards, you can move on to the next one, where your luck/cards may be better. Second, if you go on tilt at one casino, you are not in danger of depleting your entire bankroll. And Third, if the Casino (particularly online) shuts down/goes broke, then the majority of your money is safe.

Some Conventions for Cash

When you go about earning for and building your blackjack bankroll, you want to make sure that it is enough for more than just a single session. You will probably want to construct a bankroll that is sufficient for a few hundred big bets, just to give you about a hundred hours of blackjack play. If you do not have any spare money to play with, stick to free blackjack until you do. Never borrow money to play with....EVER.

Your bankroll should also be the factor that decides on the limit of the table where you play and most certainly not the other way around. Playing at a medium to high stakes table with a small bankroll makes it difficult for you to get a few games in, much less actually have fun and gain experience. Besides, the people at those tables are certainly more experienced, so you will just be bleeding yourself of chips.

Instead of satisfying your high-limit fantasies, try some practice first at some low-limit or micro-stakes tables. Yes, that means you will be playing at the $0.25/$0.50 tables with the small fry, but only because you start out as small fry yourself. The sort of experience you gain at those tables will be the same you would get had you played at the higher limits, but at less risk to your finances.

Once you gain enough experience and profits, that is the time when you move up just a single step to the next limit. Do not worry, manage your funds properly, and you will find yourself at those high-limit tables soon enough. As a good rule of thumb, i suggest you never gamble more than 10% of your bankroll at any given time or game. Any more than this, at any given time is a mistake.

I use this as the absolute maximum, and i myself will never play more than 5% at any given time. It all depends on your risk reward profile, and some people are quite comfortable with a small bankroll behind them at any given time, whilst others, like me need a larger bankroll cushion to sleep well at night!

A good bankroll rule ,and tip that i personally apply to my blackjack and poker playing is to only proceed to higher level play after 3 winning sessions in succession. The same rule should also apply to moving down limits after 3 losing sessions. This is a very successful bankroll management approach, and several pro blackjack and poker players use this rule.

Free Tip: Apply the 3 up, 3 down rule. Only proceed up to a higher level after 3 winning sessions, and go down a level after 3 losses. Combine this approach with the 5 -10% bankroll rule for extra protection.