Miscellaneous

Forum Archive : Miscellaneous

 
Money management

From:   Carly Robson
Address:   flintrina@googlemail.com
Date:   15 January 2009
Subject:   Bankroll Management
Forum:   BGonline.org Forums

I used to play poker online, now I play backgammon and I was wondering if
there's some bankroll management tips similar to poker ones?

Richard Munitz  writes:

Here are a few tips.

Play for stakes such that if you lose 100 points in a single session, it
will be upsetting, but not devastating.

If you are playing chouette and being in the box makes you uncomfortable
due to the number of players against you, take a partner.

Proper bankroll management is not about trying to come out ahead on the
scoresheet at the end of the night. It is about making the best equity
decision at every opportunity so as to maximize your profit.

If you find that you need to look at the score sheet to make your cube
decisions, you're playing for too much money.

If the cube level gets very high, it is better to try to agree on a fair
settlement than to knowingly make a bad cube decision just to limit your
losses for the night.

If you take cubes you know are clear passes just to have fun, you're
playing for too little.

If you take cubes you know are clear passes just to get even on the
scoresheet, it is time to stop playing.

> 100 Stakes? What if I just want to play something like $1 for a 1 match
> game, no doubles obviously? And what about playing matches to 5 using
> doubles?

No, you misunderstood. I am not suggesting or assuming that you play for
$100/point.

I was saying that you should play for stakes that are high enough to be
meaningful, but low enough so that they don't make you uncomfortable.
Normally, people play for money in independent games with the doubling
cube, and often they play chouette. It is not out of the question that in
such a situation you could wind up being down on the score sheet by 100
points by the end of the evening (just as you could be up 100 points). This
must be something that you can handle comfortably if it happens. If you
cannot, then the stakes are too high.

If you are playing matches for money instead of straight money game play,
it simplifies things because your risk on any single bet is limited to the
fixed stake on the match. You are either comfortable with the bet or not,
and if you feel you've won or lost enough for the night, or simply have
played enough, you just stop.

The real risk comes in non-match money play where there is no limit to how
high the cube can go in a single game where the stakes seemed quite
reasonable when you started. In chouette, you can be playing against 4
people simultaneously and if all of a sudden, you're holding an 8 cube from
all of them and getting yourself gammoned, you're looking at a 64 point
loss in a single game. That is an outcome you must be prepared to handle.
If the 8 cube was an easy take, you must not be thinking "I'd better pass
this because I can't afford to lose 64 points if things go really bad".

Keep in mind that bankroll management is a matter of keeping your head
making the optimal decisions at all times which means the stakes and the
amount you've won or lost so far should not be influencing your decision at
any time. The moment it begins to, you either need to stop, settle or
change the stakes. In general, it is a good idea to start play with budget
in mind and if you have lost that amount then stop. Some people are always
in control and are not affected by a bad string of luck, but until you know
yourself and if you're one of them, don't assume your decision making
process will not be affected by the events. Give yourself a limit and cut
yourself off. Reflect upon it the next day after your head clears and see
how you feel.

Hope this helped.
 
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