Poker Bankroll Calculator
Pick your format, buy-in and risk tolerance to get the bankroll you need — in buy-ins and in money — to ride out variance without going broke.
How to use it
Choose your format. Cash, Sit & Go or MTT — variance rises sharply from left to right, so the buy-in requirement does too.
Enter your buy-in. One buy-in at the stake you play — $100 for $0.50/$1 cash, or the tournament entry.
Pick a risk tolerance. Conservative for safety, aggressive for faster shots. Read the recommended bankroll.
The calculator multiplies your buy-in by a proven buy-in guideline for that format and risk level. The result is the bankroll that lets you absorb normal downswings without busting or being forced to move down at the worst moment.
The buy-in guidelines
Cash games are the lowest variance: roughly 20 buy-ins (aggressive), 30 (standard) or 50 (conservative) of 100bb. Sit & Gos swing more: about 30 / 50 / 100 buy-ins. MTTs are the wildest, with prize pools stacked at the final table: about 50 / 100 / 200+ buy-ins. These are widely taught baselines, not laws — adjust for your win rate and field toughness.
Bankroll is risk management, not a target
A bankroll doesn't make you a winner; it keeps a winning player from going broke during an inevitable downswing. The bigger your edge and the lower the variance, the fewer buy-ins you need — but nobody escapes variance entirely. Use the variance calculator to see how deep a normal downswing runs at your win rate, then keep enough buy-ins to survive it comfortably. Full context in the bankroll management guide.
Moving up and down
The point of a buy-in rule is a clear trigger. When your roll clears the requirement for the next stake and you're beating your current game, take a shot. When a downswing pulls you under the requirement for your current stake, move down without ego — it's the discipline that keeps you playing. Aggressive rolls climb faster but hit that move-down trigger more often; conservative rolls rarely do.