Online Poker Bankroll: How Many Buy-ins You Need for Cash Games, Sit & Gos and Tournaments
Updated on 10/17/2026.
A poker bankroll is the money you set aside just for playing. The most common rule measures that amount in buy-ins: 20 to 50 for cash games and 100 to 300 for large-field tournaments. With that reserve, a losing streak won’t knock you out of the game.
Quick summary
- Your bankroll is money set aside just for poker, separate from your monthly expenses.
- It’s measured in buy-ins, the amount it costs to sit at a table or enter a tournament.
- For cash games, guidelines call for 20 to 50 buy-ins of the limit you’re playing.
- For large tournaments and Spin & Go, that number goes up to 100 to 300 buy-ins.
- Decide in advance when you’ll move up and when you’ll move down, and stick to it.
- Rakeback doesn’t replace bankroll management, but it helps your reserve last longer.
What a bankroll is and why it matters
Even good players lose for weeks at a time. That’s variance: short-term luck weighs far more heavily than skill over a small sample of hands or tournaments. Your bankroll exists so you can get through those stretches without going broke.
The idea is simple. You set aside an amount you can afford to lose without affecting rent, food or bills. That money sits in your poker account or in a separate wallet, and it’s where every dollar you play comes from. If it runs out, you don’t top it up with money from somewhere else.
The second step is measuring your bankroll in buy-ins, not in cash amounts. In cash games, a buy-in is usually a full stack of 100 big blinds. At a $0.05/$0.10 table (NL10), for example, a buy-in is $10. In a tournament, it’s the entry fee.
How many buy-ins you need for each format
There’s no single magic number. The bigger the swings in a format, the bigger the reserve you need. Pokerfuse’s guide suggests the ranges below; The Poker Bank, which is more aggressive, suggests 20 buy-ins for cash games and 40 for sit & go.
Format | Suggested range (Pokerfuse) | Example |
|---|---|---|
Cash game | 20 to 50 buy-ins or more | NL10 with 30 buy-ins: $300 |
Sit & go | 40 to 100 buy-ins or more | $5 sit & go with 60 buy-ins: $300 |
Tournament (MTT) | 100 to 300 average buy-ins or more | $3 tournament with 150 buy-ins: $450 |
Spin & Go and jackpot | 100 to 300 buy-ins or more | $1 Spin with 200 buy-ins: $200 |
The figures in the last column are just illustrative math, so you can get a sense of the amount. Only use the lower end of the range if you already get good results at that limit and don’t depend on poker to pay your bills.
Why tournaments need more
In tournaments, you lose most of your entries, and profit comes from a few big results. With a field of thousands of players, you can go months without making a final table. Bounty formats, like the PKO tournament, smooth out some of that variance. Satellites let you play your way into an expensive event without putting your reserve at risk.
When to move up and when to move down in limits
The most important rule is deciding in advance. Pokerfuse recommends setting your move-up and move-down points before a losing streak hits, so you’re not deciding out of anger or in a rush.
- Moving up: have the number of buy-ins required for the new limit and positive results at your current one. Having the money doesn’t mean you have to move up.
- Moving down: if your bankroll drops below the minimum you set, move down a limit and rebuild your reserve. The Poker Bank uses 20 buy-ins in cash games as its cutoff.
- Taking a shot at a higher limit: set aside a small portion of your bankroll for that attempt and define your stop-loss point. If you lose it, go back to your normal limit without drama.
Common bankroll management mistakes
- Playing above your limit to chase a loss.
- Mixing your bankroll with everyday spending money.
- Withdrawing all your profit and always leaving your reserve at the bare minimum.
- Forgetting about rake. Learn how rake works in online poker, since it’s charged on every pot and every entry fee.
Managing your bankroll in US dollars
Most rooms that accept international players work in US dollars. Because of this, set your bankroll in dollars and count your buy-ins in dollars too. If you think in your local currency instead, exchange rate swings can make your bankroll look bigger (or smaller) than it really is for the limits you play.
It’s also worth planning how money moves in and out. Check out the guide on how to deposit and withdraw with Bitcoin at online poker rooms and compare conditions at the best online poker rooms.
Finally, rakeback returns part of the rake you pay and softens the effect of rough stretches. It won’t turn a losing player into a winning one, but it does make your bankroll last longer. See what rakeback is and how to calculate how much you get back. If any term felt confusing, check our poker glossary.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a poker bankroll?
It's the money you set aside just for playing poker, separate from your monthly expenses. It exists so you can ride out the rough stretches without having to stop playing or pull money from somewhere else.
How many buy-ins do I need to play cash games?
The most common guidelines suggest 20 to 50 buy-ins for the limit you're playing. If you're just starting out, it's best to stay closer to 50.
How many buy-ins do I need to play online tournaments?
For large-field tournaments, the recommendation is 100 to 300 average buy-ins. The bigger the field, the bigger the swings, and the bigger the reserve you need.
When should I move down in limits?
When your bankroll drops below the minimum number of buy-ins you set for that limit. It's best to set this rule before a losing streak hits, so you're not deciding in the heat of the moment.
Sources
- Pokerfuse: Poker Bankroll Management, Tips, Rules, and Best Practices
- The Poker Bank: Bankroll Management
Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.
Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
