Bankroll & mindset
Skill decides who wins eventually. Bankroll decides who's still playing when "eventually" arrives.
The rules: play with a dedicated poker fund, never money you need · keep 20–30 buy-ins for cash (50–100 for tournaments — variance is brutal) · bankroll shrinks below the line → move down without ego · losing session plus rising tilt → quit for the day; the games run tomorrow too · a real winner can lose for a month straight — that's variance, not a verdict.