Your bankroll is the money set aside just for playing, kept separate from your living money. Managing it well doesn't make you win more per hand, but it keeps a bad run from busting you before your skill shows.
How many buy-ins you need
- •Cash NLHE: 20–30 buy-ins for the level. Variance is lower than in tournaments.
- •Tournaments (MTT): 100+ buy-ins. The prizes are concentrated at the top, so the swings are huge.
- •Sit & Go: 50+ buy-ins. A middle ground.
Moving up and down in stakes
Move up a level only when you have the bankroll and you've been winning over a big enough sample. And the thing almost nobody does: move down if your bankroll drops below the threshold. There's no shame in moving down; there is in going broke.
💡 The mistake that ruins good players: playing stakes too high for their bankroll “because they beat the game.” Variance doesn't forgive a lack of cushion.
🎓 Full bankroll lesson→