Few questions in poker have as many answers as the question “what is the ideal bankroll for tournament poker?” There are a million different answers because there are a lot of variables involved in determining the proper sized roll that will sustain a player’s tournament play. This article breaks down those variables and helps the reader find his or her own sweet spot.

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Statistical Analysis

PTBB - pokertracker big bet - refers to what the big bet would be in no-limit games, if there were such a thing. Twice the big blind. Used by Poker Tracker software to calculate winrates.

VPIP - voluntarily put money in pot. The percentage of times the player put money into a pot, adjusted for forced blind bets.

PFR - preflop raise. The percentage of times the player raised preflop. This will necessarily be less than VPIP, unless the player never calls preflop, in which case the two would be equal.

WWSF - won when saw flop. The percentage of times the player won (or split) the pot compared to number of flops seen.

W$SD - won at showdown. The percentage of times the player wins when involved in a showdown.

AF - aggression factor. A measure of the player’s aggression after the flop.

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Reading about poker in strategy forums is one good way of improving your game. It’s not perfect, as no technology to date has been developed that allows a forum to screen out bad advice, so take things that you read online with a grain of salt. Abbreviations are used often in strategy forums to make posting simple and easy-to-read, as long as you understand the terminology used. Here is a brief guide to some of the more common usages.

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