Online poker, bring all chips to the table?

Question

If you have 1,000 in chips and want to sit at a table with a 1 blind, is it wise to bring all your chips to the table?

Wouldn't it be better to bring just a share of them, like 50, so in case your adversaries go all-in, you'll get all-in with these chips on a side-pot, but remain on the game.

Otherwise, if people go all-in, and you have 1,000 chips on you, you'll have to cover the bet or fold.

The question is for online poker, since it seems to me that there people are more prone to all-in all the time, but I suppose it applies in general as stack management strategy.

Answer 1

Generally bankroll management for cash games determines how many buyins you want depending on how much risk you are willing to take that you could lose your entire bankroll - despite playing profitably - due to variance (i.e. "bad luck").

Firstly, you're unlikely to find online games where you can buy in for 1,000 big blinds anyway, but even if you did, you certainly wouldn't want to buy in for your entire 1,000BB bankroll unless you were willing to accept a very high chance of losing that entire bankroll.

For a casual player who is willing to reload into their bankroll if they should go broke, 20 buyins (usually 2,000 big blinds in most games) is a sensible bankroll, buying in for 100BB each time.

However, if you do not want to (or cannot afford to) replenish your bankroll and want to reduce the chance of going broke, something more like 100 or 200 buyins (10,000 or 20,000 big blinds) would be more prudent.

Answer 2

You can only win or lose what is in front of you. If you get AA you want enough in front of you to build a big pot if not get it all in. You still don't want to risk your entire bankroll on a singe hand. Or you make the nuts. 100 BB is a good starting point.

If you feel like you are getting pushed around and want to play smaller pots then you can load up for less. The minimum is typically 40-60 BB.

If you feel you are a good post flop player then you want a big stack.

Other answer has good numbers for bankroll management.