I work in the metal fab business which is kinda boom or bust. Lately we we have been booming and we let a few people go when we were slow so I am putting in tons of OT just so we can keep up. This has padded my bank account and I am thinking about boosting my BR on my trip at the end of the month. My worry is that the OT will dry up and future trips will not be as entertaining if I have to decrease my BR?
You might've answered your own question. If you think the money well could dry up, you probably want to stash away as much as you can. If all goes well and it doesn't, you can even put that money toward your next trip. In my experience, it's unlikely that a little bump in bankroll for a trip will have a noticeable effect on how much fun I have.
Why do you want to up your bankroll? If you're talking about comps, it's always better to just pay for what you want with your overtime money and just keep playing at the level you're currently at.
I am not playing for comps and would not raise my bet very much but I would play more. My bankroll has been on a steady rise per trip already. I guess I am worried about it growing to fast. I have already stashed away a fair amount of the extra money I earned, I live on less then half my normal paycheck. I guess I am worried about Vegas getting to expensive for me to legitimatize. I will probably stick with my planned BR save the rest for future trips.
Pretty sure only you can answer the question. One has to assume their entire bankroll is at risk. Can you live with that going forward? Some folks never risk more than $20 in Vegas. Some risk... well... you know.
One thing for sure, once you are used to play $500+ a hand, you can't back down to play $5 a hand and still enjoy it.
You should definitely boost your bankroll if you're completely comfortable with seeing it disappear on this trip. On the other hand, if we have to budget for other things in life and loss of these bankroll funds would have a negative impact on other items (food, shelter, transmission, insurance deductible), probably wanna think about this a bit. When you go to Vegas, do you expect to walk away a winner? Do you derive more pleasure playing higher stakes or stretching the money over time? All things to factor in.
For a couple of years we worked all the overtime we wanted. The big bucks were rolling in and a lot of people depended on that money to buy and spend beyond their means. The overtime stopped immediately and those folks had to change their life style and some even lost the things they had bought. My advice save the money, use it wisely and do not depend on it for anything but what it is a short term extra money.
If you worry that the OT will dry up (and it usually does) then do not up your BR. Like JeJas mentioned, you might get used to the higher bets and will not derive much fun if you have to bet less. I've found that for me, it's more fun to bet higher and play less than bet low and grind it out for hours. You just need to know your loss limit when betting higher and walk away when it's not happening.
See, I'd do the opposite with a larger bankroll. Bet at the same amount as usual, and play longer if necessary. A larger bankroll will let you ride out variance better if you get down early. If you get up early, you can still walk.
My bankroll does fluctuate a bit, but have not had to drastically reduce and know that feeling would suck. When working with extra cash (like I will be next trip ) that money will be kept separate from my normal budget. This money has yet to be allocated but it will be used for something out of the ordinary like a $500 buy at craps instead of the usual $300. Or maybe $500 in a $10-$20 pull slot machine instead of the usual $3-$5. By using the money for something out of the ordinary, your mind sort of knows not to expect this all the time and helps to avoid any let down on future trips if the money is not there. Sort of like some special birthday sex you get from a significant other. Its great but you know it won't be this way all the time.
I still do this also. For me it hasn't gone well past couple of trips. Me and variance hasn't been on very good terms , lately, lol.
A lot depends on your situation. Married with two kids approaching college? Then save your money. 25 and single? Go have fun. An approach I take is to have my regular bankroll, but designate some of it (maybe 20%) for higher stakes than normal. Sure, some of it might go quickly, but it adds the rush of playing higher, and the possibility for a bigger win. For me, it's $10 WoF instead of $1, $5 or $10 VP, and maybe $30-40 a spin on roulette instead of the usual minimum. That usually curbs my appetite for playing higher.
I am making more money nowadays but I still am the low (no?) roller, playing red chips on the tables and crap tables. I usually shun the strip because many of the tables have $10 or $15 minimums but now that I have to pay for parking I probably will avoid the strip as much as possible, parking at the free lots until that goes away. As others have mentioned, once you start to up your bankroll it may be hard to bet lower amounts and still "enjoy" your gaming.
When I get extra cash I set it aside for an additional trip. My BR and my play are pretty static from trip to trip.
As others have said, I would take some and pad your bankroll, but keep at the same bet level. You will be able to ride out losing streaks better and play longer. Take it from me, after my first couple of Vegas trips I got a better job and started having a two-income household so I had a lot of extra "play" money. I added it to my bankroll, but also massively increased my bet size and got burned on several trips. The money disappears a lot faster when you go from betting $15 a hand to $50+. Got some good comps out of it, but wish I had stuck to lower bet size! Either way it was money I was willing to lose, but I still kick myself for not stretching that money out a little further!
I would take half of whatever extra you might take and save the other half for the next trip. Then take half of the added money to your bankroll and throw it on black. One nice big bet to double up. Best of both worlds.