A bankroll is the money set aside for poker and nothing else. Managing it means choosing stakes small enough that an ordinary losing run cannot end the game, because losing runs are a feature of poker rather than evidence of a mistake.
The guidelines below are conventions used by regular players. They are not guarantees, and no number of buy-ins protects a player whose results are negative over the long run.
Why Variance Demands It
Poker results arrive slowly. A strong edge in a cash game is a few big blinds per hundred hands, while the swing in any given session is many times that. The consequence is that long losing stretches are statistically ordinary even for winning players.
- A tournament player who reaches the money in one event in five will often go twenty or more events without a cash.
- A winning cash game player can lose over tens of thousands of hands without anything being wrong.
- Downswings feel like evidence of a flaw; they are usually evidence of a small sample.
Common Guidelines
| Format | Conservative | Aggressive | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-limit cash game | 40 buy-ins | 20 buy-ins | A buy-in is usually 100 big blinds. |
| Fixed-limit cash game | 300 big bets | 150 big bets | Measured in big bets, not buy-ins. |
| Sit and go | 60 buy-ins | 30 buy-ins | Smaller fields mean smaller swings. |
| Multi-table tournament | 200 buy-ins | 100 buy-ins | Large fields produce long gaps between results. |
| Pot-limit Omaha | 50 buy-ins | 30 buy-ins | Equities run close, so swings are larger than hold'em. |
Moving Up and Down
- Set the threshold in advanceDecide the number of buy-ins required for the next level before reaching it.
- Move up with a cushionReaching the threshold for a stake is not the same as being comfortable at it.
- Move down without hesitatingDropping a level after a defined loss is a rule, not an admission.
- Keep recordsResults per format and per stake are the only way to know which games are actually profitable.
Money Discipline Outside the Numbers
- Keep the bankroll separate from money needed for anything else.
- Decide session length and stop-loss before sitting down, not during a losing session.
- Treat winnings as part of the bankroll rather than as income until a withdrawal is planned.
- Stop when tired or upset; the cost of poor decisions exceeds the cost of a missed session.
Poker is played for money, and money lost at the table is lost. The responsible play page sets out the limits worth putting in place before any of this becomes relevant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many buy-ins do I need for cash games?
Twenty is the usual minimum quoted, forty is comfortable, and more is sensible for anyone whose income depends on the result. The right number rises with the variance of the format and falls with the size of the edge.
Should tournament players really keep 100 buy-ins?
For large-field events, yes or more. Payouts are concentrated at the top, so most entries return nothing and the gap between cashes can be long.
Is it wrong to take a shot at a bigger game?
Not if the size of the shot and the point of retreat are decided in advance. Shots that continue because the session went badly are how bankrolls end.