Serious and casual online poker players all have one thing in common: They rely on a set bankroll to fund their their poker games at the casino. For professional poker players, their bankrolls are their professional earnings. Poker is their business, and some of the money they make must go back into the business. This is the ongoing bankroll of money used to enter tournaments or play cash games.

For casual players, who may want to make a little extra money on the side, the bankroll is what enables play. Professionals and casual players must be attentive to managing their bankrolls. You start your poker game (or career) with a fixed amount of money and then strive to make it grow. If your bankroll dwindles or disappears, then you must re-evaluate your desire and commitment to poker if your are going to create another bankroll.

Your bankroll management approach must take into account the risk of ruin. That means you calculate how much of your bankroll you are willing to put at risk in relation to the potential reward. If you apply your entire bankroll to one tournament fee, you are risking it all at once but for a potentially big pay out. This is a go-for-broke, all-or-nothing aggressive style with a high risk of ruin.

On the other hand, you might want to be more conservative and decide to apportion your bankroll for several tournaments where the prize money is less, but where you have multiple chances of winning. The risk is spread over several games, and your risk of ruin diluted.