If we are being honest with ourselves, we can all think of a time when we have gone on tilt, and stepped up a level or two to try and win some quick money. It really isn’t that uncommon at all, and it isn’t help by the fact that the limit above is only a few clicks of the mouse away. Some people have a greater tendency to play out of their bankroll than others, but what affect does playing out of your bankroll have on our game?

Well most obviously, by playing out of your bankroll, you are putting your money at a much higher risk. Your bankroll is there to absorb the swings of the game, and by moving up the limits to realms that your bankroll has difficulty with you are just asking for trouble. The rules of bankroll management are there for a reason, and if you do not abide by them you are increasing your chances of going broke. The further up the limits you move, the more chance you have of losing your ‘roll.

Another problem with moving up the limits when you shouldn’t be is the psychological affect the increased limits will have on your game. If you are happy and content to make moves on the 25c/50c tables where only $50 of your money is at stake, how do you think you are going to play at higher limits like $1/$2 where you could potentially lose $200? Just thinking about losing that kind of money in one hand is enough to give some people butterflies, so consider the implications that playing out of your bankroll could mean before sitting down. If you are going to be playing scared poker, then you are going to be playing bad poker. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that playing scared and above your bankroll is not a good combination.

A quite common practice amongst tilting players that are playing out of their bankroll is to play some heads-up poker. This is the perfect environment for a tilting player to exact their revenge on an unsuspecting heads-up player. Here they can show no mercy and lighten the wallets of their opponent as they bet and bluff their way to victory… but if only this was the case. Playing heads-up can cause no end of problems, especially if you are normally a 6 seater or full ring game cash player. Playing heads-up amplifies the difference in skill levels between the players, so if you find yourself up against an experienced opponent your money will soon drift out of your bankroll.

So if you are on tilt, try to remember the one golden rule; don’t play above your bankroll. In fact, don’t play at all. However, if you seriously have to play out of your bankroll for whatever reasons known to you, make things a little easier on yourself and play at a full ring game table. Also try and only move up one limit instead of two or more to minimise the effect that a loss will have on your bankroll. We all go on tilt from time to time, and we all need to try and exercise a little self-control. Hopefully you have been able to relate to a few of the points brought up in this article, and you might be able to highlight where you might be losing some money.