01What a bankroll is really for

A poker bankroll is not a target or a measure of success; it is a shock absorber. Its only job is to keep a player at the tables through the inevitable losing stretches that variance produces, even when those stretches run far longer than feels reasonable. A roll that is too small turns ordinary bad luck into a busted account, ending a winning career before the edge ever has time to show. A roll that is far too large simply leaves money idle. The right size sits between those extremes and depends on two things: how wild the format's swings are, and how much risk the player is willing to carry.

02How the recommendation is built

The calculator multiplies the stake by a buy-in count chosen for the format and risk level. The multiples reflect the very different variance of cash and tournament play.

  • Cash games. Conservative 40 buy-ins, standard 25, aggressive 15. Swings are real but bounded, so a smaller roll can be defended.
  • Tournaments. Conservative 200 buy-ins, standard 100, aggressive 50. Deep-run dependence makes the variance several times larger, so the roll has to be far deeper.

The cushion figure is the bankroll the conservative multiple would require at the same stake. Treating it as a move-down trigger gives a simple, mechanical rule: if the roll ever falls to that level, step down a stake, rebuild, and take another shot later. That removes the hardest decision in bankroll management - knowing when to retreat - from the heat of a downswing.

Recommended bankroll by format and risk level (buy-ins)
FormatAggressiveStandardConservative
Cash games15-2025-4050+
Sit & Go30-5060-80100+
Small-field MTT60-100120-150200+
Large-field MTT100-150200-300300+

03Choosing a risk level honestly

The right setting is the one a player can actually live with. A professional whose income depends on the game leans conservative, because going broke is not an inconvenience but a loss of livelihood. A recreational player with a steady outside income and a clear stop-loss can sit closer to aggressive, accepting a higher chance of rebuilding in exchange for reaching bigger games sooner. The standard setting suits most serious players who want to grow without courting ruin. Whichever level is chosen, the figure only holds if the player is genuinely beating the stake; the ROI calculator confirms that edge, the variance calculator shows the downswing the roll has to survive, and the full guide to bankroll management covers the discipline that ties them together.

04What changes the bankroll you need most

Two players at the same stake can need very different rolls. The size is pushed up or down by a handful of factors:

  • Format and field size. The single biggest lever - large-field tournaments demand many times the buy-ins a cash game does.
  • Variance level. Looser, more aggressive games and high-rake structures widen the swings and deepen the roll.
  • Your ROI or edge. A bigger, well-proven edge shortens downswings and can justify carrying fewer buy-ins.
  • Risk tolerance. How much chance of going broke you are willing to accept to move up faster.
  • Whether poker pays the bills. If withdrawals fund daily expenses, the roll has to be deeper to survive both the swings and the spending.
  • How readily you move down. A player who drops stakes early can run a thinner roll than one who refuses to retreat.

05When a bankroll is too small

The clearest sign a roll is undersized is not a number but a behaviour. Watch for these:

  • Moving up feels forced, because the current stake can no longer cover normal living costs.
  • A single ordinary downswing changes your schedule or forces you off the tables.
  • You start avoiding good, beatable games because the risk of sitting down feels too high.
  • Daily-life money and poker money begin to mix, so a bad run hits the rent rather than the roll.

Any of these means the multiple behind the stake is too thin for real conditions. The fix is rarely to play scared - it is to move down a level, rebuild to a comfortable cushion, and take the next shot from solid ground.

// faq
How many buy-ins should a poker bankroll be? +

It depends on format and risk tolerance. Cash games are commonly played on 20 to 40 buy-ins, with 25 a standard middle ground. Tournaments swing far harder, so 100 buy-ins is a typical standard and conservative grinders hold 200 or more. The calculator applies these multiples to the stake you enter.

Why do tournaments need a bigger bankroll than cash games? +

Tournament results are dominated by rare deep runs, so a player can go dozens or even hundreds of events without a major cash while still being a long-term winner. That extreme variance means the bankroll has to absorb much longer losing stretches than a cash-game roll, which is why the multiples are several times larger.

What does the risk tolerance setting change? +

It scales the number of buy-ins behind the recommendation. Conservative holds the most buy-ins and is the safest against going broke; aggressive holds the fewest and accepts a higher risk of ruin in exchange for moving up faster. Standard sits in between and suits most players who take the game seriously but are not reckless.

When should I move down in stakes? +

A common rule is to drop down once the bankroll falls to the conservative floor for the current stake, which the calculator shows as a cushion figure. Moving down at that point protects the roll during a downswing and lets a player rebuild before taking another shot at the higher stake.

Is 100 buy-ins enough for tournament poker? +

One hundred buy-ins is a reasonable standard for small and mid-field tournaments, and it is the figure the calculator uses at the standard risk level. For large-field events with their longer dry spells, many serious players prefer 200 or more, and full-time pros often hold even deeper. If poker income covers living costs, treat 100 as a floor rather than a comfortable target.

Can a good ROI justify a smaller bankroll? +

To a degree, yes. A larger, well-proven edge shortens the expected length and depth of downswings, so a strong winner can defend a slightly thinner roll than a break-even player at the same stake. The catch is that ROI has to be measured over a big enough sample to trust; a high figure from a few hundred entries is not yet evidence of an edge, so the bankroll should not be cut on the strength of it.