Shaun,

Betting to a bank helps you adhere to one of the most important gambling principles: Only bet what you can afford.

If you set a hypothetical bank, then you obviously haven't got sufficient funds to work to an actual bank and this is fraught with danger.

I could easily say I'm going to work to a hypothetical bank of 100K and sure, I might have 10 grand to cover my first 5 bets (at 2%) but if I have a run of 5 outs, I'm stuffed. I can't afford a 100K bank so I don't set a hypothetical figure.

The reality is, if all I've got is 10 grand, then a $2000 bet is 20% of my real bank, not 2% of a hypothetical bank.

I keep my actual bank parked on my mortgage. It's real, it's working for me while it's not being used and it's accessible for when I have to pay my bookmaker.

A hypothetical bank can easily become what it is in reality: a whole heap of nothing.