You put in $125 you can afford to lose. One buy-in at this stake is $5.
That's 30 buy-ins of $10, so you can move up to $0.05/$0.10.
You've dropped below 20 buy-ins at this stake, so you go back down. Nothing went wrong. That's what the rule is for.
Poker bankroll management: how much is enough?
Updated November 2026
The usual rule of thumb is 20 to 30 buy-ins for no-limit cash games and 100 or more for tournaments. How much you really need depends on how much you win and how much your results swing, and the calculator below shows what each choice risks.
All of this assumes the money is money you can afford to lose. If it isn't, the right bankroll is zero.
Rules of thumb
Cash games20 to 30 buy-ins
Tournaments100 or more buy-ins
Move upWith 30 for the next stake
Move downAt 20 for your stake
What is a bankroll?
It's the money you've set aside only for poker, kept apart from rent and groceries. You measure it in buy-ins: one buy-in is what it costs to sit down with a full stack, usually 100 big blinds.
So in a game with $0.50 and $1 blinds, one buy-in is $100, and 25 buy-ins is $2,500.
$0.50/$1 game
One buy-in$100
20 buy-ins$2,000
30 buy-ins$3,000
How many buy-ins do you really need?
This chart shows the chance of losing your whole bankroll, for three players with different win rates. A win rate is written in big blinds per 100 hands.
Look at how quickly the lines drop. A player winning 5 big blinds per 100 hands goes from about 3 chances in 10 of going broke at 10 buy-ins to about 1 in 40 at 30. A small winner needs far more.
How much do you need for each stake?
Here's the money for 25 buy-ins of 100 big blinds, at the stakes most players start with.
Bankroll for 25 buy-ins
One buy-in is 100 big blinds
What is risk of ruin?
It's the chance that you lose your entire bankroll before your edge has time to show. It depends on three numbers: your win rate, your bankroll, and how much your results swing.
The formula is on the right. Swing is measured as standard deviation, and for six-player no-limit a figure around 90 big blinds per 100 hands is a common estimate. You can change it in the calculator.
The formula
Risk = e^(−2 × win rate × bankroll / swing²)
Win rate and swing are per 100 hands, and bankroll is in big blinds.
What's the catch?
- You don't know your win rateIt takes a very long time to measure, and most players guess too high.
- If you aren't winning, no number is enoughWith a win rate of zero or below, the risk of going broke is 100% in the long run.
- Games changeThe formula assumes your win rate stays the same. A tougher table or a bad mood changes it.
When should you move up or down?
- Move upYou have 30 buy-ins for the next stakeThen play it with the same discipline you used to get there.
- Move downYou drop to 20 buy-insDo it without arguing. Moving down early is how players stay in the game.
- Take a shotSet a limit firstTry the next stake with two or three buy-ins, and go back if you lose them.
Why do tournaments need so much more?
Most entries win nothing, and a few win a lot, so your results swing far more than in a cash game. Going without a real win for 50 tournaments in a row is ordinary.
That's why the usual advice is at least 100 buy-ins. Fields of thousands need more than that.
How results arrive
Cash gameMany small wins
TournamentRare big wins
How much does the rake cost you?
More than most people guess. Say a live table takes $6 from each pot and deals 30 hands an hour. That's $180 an hour leaving the table, or $20 an hour for each of nine players, shared out over time.
Compare that with a $3 an hour win rate at the same game. That's why a player needs a real edge at low stakes, and why you should know the rake before you sit down.
$6 a pot, 30 hands an hour
Per hour$180
Players9
Each$20
When can you take money out?
Set a line, then stick to it. For example, only take money out above 40 buy-ins at your current stake. That keeps enough behind for a bad run and still lets you enjoy some of what you've won.
Whatever you decide, decide it before a good month changes your mind.
A simple rule
Below 20 buy-insMove down
20 to 40Keep playing
Above 40Take some out
What does a sensible plan look like?
What about sit and gos?
They swing more than cash games and less than big tournaments. A common guideline is 50 to 100 buy-ins. Fast formats with big prize multipliers need more, because most of the winnings come from rare results.
Buy-ins, roughly
Cash games20 to 30
Sit and gos50 to 100
Tournaments100 or more
How do bankrolls usually die?
- Chasing lossesMoving up to win it back is the fastest way to lose it all.
- Spending itA bankroll you take money out of whenever you win won't grow.
- Playing tiltedOne angry session can cost more than a month of good ones.
- Assuming you're a winnerA lucky month proves very little. Track your results.
What if it stops being fun?
Poker should be something you can walk away from. If you're betting money you need, hiding how much you play or playing to escape something, stop and talk to someone. In the US, the National Council on Problem Gambling runs a free confidential helpline. Most countries have something similar.
Before each session
- Decide how much you can lose
- Decide when you'll stop
- Keep to both
Can you manage the money?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask about bankrolls
How much money do I need to start playing poker?
Whatever you can afford to lose. Start at a stake where 20 to 30 buy-ins fits in that amount.
Does this apply to home games?
Less strictly. If the game is for fun with friends, one buy-in you're happy to lose is plenty.
What is a good win rate?
It depends on the stakes and the players. Anything clearly above zero over a large number of hands is good, and it takes a lot of hands to know.
Should I keep my bankroll on a poker site?
Keep only what you plan to play with, and don't mix it with money you need for other things.
Can I start with $20?
Yes, at the very lowest stakes, if you treat it as money you can lose. Just don't move up until the numbers say so.
Should I count money on several sites as one bankroll?
Yes. It's all one bankroll, as long as you can really move it between them.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
Risk of ruin uses the standard formula above, which treats results as a random walk with a fixed win rate and spread. It's a simplification, and real results depend on game conditions. The 20 to 30 and 100 buy-in figures are common rules of thumb, not calculations.
Know someone playing with their rent money?
Send them this page.