Professional poker players understand that the efficient management of their bankrolls is a key part of their poker strategy. Though televised poker tournaments are indicative of how bankrolls can double or significantly diminish in just one hand, the fact is, the winners who got to that last table were the ones most experienced in bankroll management. In other words, they were able to hold on to their money the longest. Clearly, this is easier said than done.

Though there are several proposed strategies for maintaining a bankroll, those seeking to learn poker should stick to one: maintenance. Regardless of whether you are playing in a casino or online poker room, you will want to practice the "maintenance" technique. This technique is extremely simple to follow and should offer several hours of poker play, and consequently, several hours of a great learning experience.

The first thing that a poker player must decide is the amount of ante he can afford. For those who are just starting to learn poker, the smallest ante possible is clearly the best best. You may be lucky enough to find a $1.00 draw poker game, or a $2/$4 Texas Hold em. To demonstrate the maintenace strategy, this article will use Texas Hold em as an example.

There are generally ten players at a Texas Hold em table, only two of whom are required to ante. The other eight have an option of seeing and dicarding their cards without having to place a bet. This is a great advantage. When practicing the maintenance strategy, you should never ante or bet unless you are holding a strong poker hand. An example of a strong Texas Hold em hand would be a "pocket pair" or two high cards suited (of the same suit).

If you follow this strategy successfully, and have a bit of luck, you will only have to bet your money when you have an increased chance of winning the poker pot. Most importantly, this strategy can be used for any variation of poker. The bottom line is: do not play or bet until you have the best possible chance of winning. If you do this, you will be able to maintain your bankroll successfully, and increase your potential winnings.