How Much Should Your Bankroll Be for Poker?

Your bankroll is the amount of money you have set aside specifically for playing poker. It is important to have a separate bankroll for poker because you need to be able to cover your buy-ins and losses without dipping into other funds. So how much should your bankroll be?

The general rule of thumb is that your bankroll should be at least 20 times the amount of the buy-in for the game you want to play. So, if you want to play $1/$2 no-limit hold’em, your bankroll should be at least $40.

This will give you enough leeway to weather any short-term losing streaks without going broke.

Of course, this is just a general guideline. Your actual bankroll may need to be more or less depending on your individual circumstances.

PRO TIP:Your bankroll should be large enough to survive the swings of poker. As a rule of thumb, you should have at least 50 buy-ins in your bankroll for cash games and 25 buy-ins for tournaments. For example, if you play $1/$2 cash games, your bankroll should be at least $100. Additionally, it is not advisable to risk more than 5% of your bankroll on any single game.

For example, if you are a very conservative player who only plays when you have a big edge, you can get away with a smaller bankroll. On the other hand, if you are a risk-taking player who is always chasing action, you will need a larger bankroll to weather the inevitable downswings.

The bottom line is that you should only play with money that you can afford to lose. Poker is a risky game and there is always the potential for loss, no matter how good of a player you are.

If you can’t afford to lose the money in your bankroll, then you shouldn’t be playing poker in the first place.

So how much should your bankroll be? The general rule of thumb is that it should be at least 20 times the amount of the buy-in for the game you want to play. However, your actual bankroll may need to be more or less depending on your individual circumstances.