When you are new to playing in poker tournaments it is important to choose your stakes carefully. When choosing your limits you want to make a decent profit, while also avoiding playing for such high limits that you can’t measure up to the other players. The following tips can help you choose the right tournament poker limits for you.

The first thing you need to take into consideration is your bankroll. You should only play in tournaments that you could afford to pay the buy-in at least 50 times. If you only have $500 set aside in your poker bankroll then you wouldn’t want to enter a tournament with a $250 buy-in. Play in two tournaments with those limits and your bankroll will be gone.

You also need to consider how often you expect to win. You will want to win an average of at least 40% of the tournaments you enter online, especially if you are playing sit and go tournaments. You can start out with low-limit tournaments and as you begin winning more often you can increase the limits. You’ll also want to keep track of your profits. How much do you win in each tournament compared to the amount you are spending on buy-ins? If you are not making a profit then try lowering the limits at which you are playing.

In order to increase your profit margin you can practice with free poker games. This is a great way to improve your skills and prepare yourself for tournament play.