Poker Bankroll Management Guide
Bankroll management is not about maximizing profit — it is about surviving the variance of poker without going broke. Enter your total bankroll, game type, and risk style to find the right maximum buy-in for your current stake level.
Standard Buy-In Rules
The standard for cash games is 25 buy-ins — you risk 4% of your bankroll per table. Conservative players use 40 buy-ins (2.5%) and aggressive players 20 buy-ins (5%). Tournaments have much higher variance due to top-heavy prize pools, so 100 buy-ins is the standard recommendation.
Handling Downswings
After losing 10 buy-ins, your max buy-in shrinks. This forces you to drop down in stakes. Playing through downswings at a lower level and recovering your bankroll is the correct approach to avoiding ruin.
FAQ
Yes. Online multi-tabling increases variance, so 30+ buy-ins is recommended online. Live cash games at 25 buy-ins is a good standard starting point.
A losing streak measured in buy-ins. Even a strong winning player can lose 20+ buy-ins due to variance. Bankroll management ensures you survive to play through it.
Most tournament money is concentrated in the top 10–15% of finishers. This heavy right skew creates massive variance in return on investment compared to cash games.