Bankroll Calculator
Free poker bankroll calculator — enter your game, stakes, and risk tolerance to see how many buy-ins you actually need.
Pick a format, type a buy-in, set your risk level — the calculator returns the bankroll you need plus a monthly profit estimate. While JavaScript loads, the tables below answer the most common version of the same question: “what bankroll do I need for $1/$2 cash?” or “$109 MTTs?”.
NL Hold’em cash — bankroll by stake
| Stake | Buy-in | Conservative (40×) | Standard (25×) | Aggressive (15×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2NL ($0.01/$0.02) | $2 | $80 | $50 | $30 |
| 5NL ($0.02/$0.05) | $5 | $200 | $125 | $75 |
| 10NL ($0.05/$0.10) | $10 | $400 | $250 | $150 |
| 25NL ($0.10/$0.25) | $25 | $1,000 | $625 | $375 |
| 50NL ($0.25/$0.50) | $50 | $2,000 | $1,250 | $750 |
| 100NL ($0.50/$1) | $100 | $4,000 | $2,500 | $1,500 |
| 200NL ($1/$2) | $200 | $8,000 | $5,000 | $3,000 |
| 500NL ($2.50/$5) | $500 | $20,000 | $12,500 | $7,500 |
| 1k NL ($5/$10) | $1,000 | $40,000 | $25,000 | $15,000 |
MTT tournaments — bankroll by buy-in
| Buy-in | Conservative (150×) | Standard (100×) | Aggressive (60×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 turbo | $150 | $100 | $60 |
| $5 MTT | $750 | $500 | $300 |
| $11 MTT | $1,650 | $1,100 | $660 |
| $22 MTT | $3,300 | $2,200 | $1,320 |
| $55 MTT | $8,250 | $5,500 | $3,300 |
| $109 MTT | $16,350 | $10,900 | $6,540 |
| $215 MTT | $32,250 | $21,500 | $12,900 |
| $530 MTT | $79,500 | $53,000 | $31,800 |
Other formats. PLO cash needs about 30–40% more roll than NLHE because pot-limit equities run closer (50×/35×/20× by risk). Sit & Gos sit between cash and MTT (80×/50×/30×) — single-table fields cap the worst downswings. Spin & Gos have the highest variance of any format because of the multiplier lottery — plan for 200×/120×/75× even with a winning ROI.
How Bankroll Management Works
Your bankroll is the total amount of money set aside exclusively for poker. Bankroll management means only playing stakes where your bankroll can absorb the natural variance without going broke.
The number of buy-ins you need depends on three things: the game format (cash games need fewer than tournaments), your win rate (higher win rates tolerate smaller bankrolls), and your risk tolerance (how much ruin probability you can stomach).
Never play stakes where a normal downswing would wipe out your bankroll. If you lose 10 buy-ins and that puts you in financial stress, you are playing too high.
Recommended Buy-ins by Format
| Format | Conservative | Standard | Aggressive |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL Hold’em Cash | 40 buy-ins | 25 buy-ins | 15 buy-ins |
| PLO Cash | 50 buy-ins | 35 buy-ins | 20 buy-ins |
| MTTs | 150 buy-ins | 100 buy-ins | 60 buy-ins |
| Sit & Gos | 80 buy-ins | 50 buy-ins | 30 buy-ins |
| Spin & Gos | 200 buy-ins | 120 buy-ins | 75 buy-ins |