What is a bankroll in poker? A poker bankroll is the amount of money you set aside specifically for the game. Bankroll management helps you maintain the health of your personal finances, avoid unnecessary risks, and gradually increase your capital. In this article, we will look at why you need a bankroll, how to set it up and manage it responsibly, and what strategies will help you increase your stock of funds.
Understanding poker bankroll
Before we dive into the strategies and calculations, it’s important to understand what a bankroll is and why it’s so important to your poker career. Essentially, a bankroll is a set aside amount of money for playing, separate from your day-to-day expenses and savings. It helps you keep a long-term perspective on results, rather than getting emotional when hands don’t go your way.
Definition and purpose
A bankroll is your financial “shield” in poker.
- The goal: to mitigate the impact of natural volatility and occasional losses so you can make smart decisions and focus on sound strategies.
- The goal: to have enough cash to withstand long “drawdowns” (going into the red) without going over your normal budget.
Without a clear understanding and allocation of a bankroll, you risk mixing gambling with your living expenses, which often leads to spontaneous and destructive decisions at the table.
How it differs from your personal finances
It is important to never “go into the minus” on vital expenses, so the bankroll and personal budget should live separately:
- Personal finances: your savings for housing, food, utility bills, travel, major goals (buying a car, repairs, etc.).
- Bankroll: money that you are willing to sacrifice for the sake of the game, even if you lose it all.
This division allows you to:
- Reduce stress – you know for sure that losing poker money will not affect your bills.
- Increase discipline – a clear boundary between “game” and “life” funds helps you not to exceed the limits.
- Build a competent strategy – when you are confident in your reserves, it is easier to plan for increasing stakes and new game goals.
Setting bankroll size
Before you start playing, it’s important to understand how much money you can allocate to poker without touching your life savings. Setting up a bankroll starts with assessing the total amount of “free” funds. Then, based on your personal risk tolerance and the chosen game format, you determine the proportion and absolute value of your reserve fund. A properly set bankroll will allow you to withstand the natural fluctuations of wins and losses, keep your cool at the table, and smoothly move to a comfortable betting level.
Allocating a percentage of total funds
First, estimate how much spare money you have — the money you can afford to spend on hobbies or entertainment without touching your savings for important goals. From this amount, allocate a reasonable percentage — usually 5–10%. If you are not afraid of small drawdowns and remain calm after losses, you can aim closer to 10%. Those who prefer a more cautious approach should choose 5% to feel comfortable and avoid unnecessary stress.
Adjusting for different stakes and game types
Next, match your bankroll to the game format and blind level. In cash games, a bankroll of 20-30 buy-ins of the chosen level is usually enough to survive the ups and downs of good and bad. For single-table Sit & Go tournaments, 50-75 buy-ins will suffice, and in multi-table MTTs, it’s best to have at least 100 buy-ins, as there’s more variability. If you play multiple formats at once, divide your bankroll into “counter boxes” — for example, 70% for cash games and 30% for tournaments — and increase each reserve proportionally as you move up in limits, taking into account fees and platform features.
Managing bankroll
What is a bankroll in poker? A poker bankroll is the amount of money you set aside specifically for the game. Bankroll management helps you maintain the health of your personal finances, avoid unnecessary risks, and gradually increase your capital. Once your bankroll is established, managing it properly while you play is key. This means being clear about how much money you are willing to spend in each session and not going beyond that, even if you want to recoup a losing streak. Proper management helps you stay cool, avoid frustration, and maintain an objective view of your results.
Session buy-ins and stop-loss limits
Before you sit down at the table, decide how much you are willing to risk in one session. It should not be your entire bankroll, but just a portion of it – the amount that you can lose without damaging the following days. Once you have set your maximum, stick to it strictly: as soon as you reach this mark, quit the game. This is a kind of “emergency brake” that will save you from emotional impulses to increase the stakes or continue in the hope of winning back. Such a stop-loss limit helps protect feelings and finances, without turning poker into a source of stress.
Tracking wins, losses and overall balance
Regularly recording your results is a key element of discipline. After each session, write down how much you won or lost and compare these figures with your current bankroll balance. This approach gives a clear picture of your progress and reveals patterns: which days you play better, which formats bring you a stable income, and where it’s worth slowing down. When looking at clear numbers, it’s easier to make decisions about further increasing bets or rolling back to a more comfortable level, without relying on subjective emotions.
Strategies for growing bankroll
To ensure that your bankroll not only maintains but also grows over time, it is important to act thoughtfully and take advantage of all available opportunities. Below are two main areas that will help you gradually increase your stock of funds.
Moving up in stakes responsibly
When you feel confident in your game — for example, you are consistently coming out ahead at your current stakes level — you can think about moving up. But the increase shouldn’t be abrupt. The “up the limits and let it go” approach often ends in big losses. It’s best to take it step by step: wait for a few consecutive successful sessions, while monitoring volatility and keeping a reserve of 20–30 buy-ins at the old level. If you encounter temporary drawdowns after the transition, don’t rush back down or change your strategy abruptly: give yourself time to get used to the new stakes. This balanced approach will allow you to gradually get used to larger amounts and not risk everything at once.
Leveraging bonuses, rakeback and promotions
Online poker platforms often offer attractive first deposit bonuses, loyalty programs, and rakeback — a small portion of the commission from each hand returned. Don’t miss out on these opportunities: even a small addition to your bankroll can give you additional buy-ins and reduce the impact of random losses. Start by studying the bonus terms — sometimes it seems easy to earn them, but sometimes you need a certain volume of hands played or time on your account. Also, don’t forget about rakeback: choose poker rooms with the most favorable return rates and regularly check promotions — they may include freerolls with cash prizes or additional accruals for activity. Together, such “goodies” help to significantly expand your bankroll without additional investments from your own pocket.
Protecting bankroll
When your bankroll starts to grow or when you feel that the game is getting too emotional, it is especially important to focus on protecting it. First, you need to develop the habit of maintaining discipline even under pressure – not changing your pre-planned game plan and not rushing to win back after a series of losses. Second, it is worth listening to your own feelings: if you notice that you are tired or nervous, it is better to take a break until you return to a calm and collected mood.
Maintaining discipline and emotional control
No strategy will work if you give in to impulses to “burn out” and start increasing the stakes to win back. It is important to define clear rules for yourself in advance: for example, the maximum number of sessions per day or a drawdown limit, after which you put the keyboard down and go to rest. During the game, monitor your state – if you notice irritability or a desire to “beat everyone”, take a break, walk around the room, drink water and only then decide whether to return to the table.
Recognizing when to take a break and cash out
Sometimes the best move in poker is to stop and take your profits. If you suddenly start winning more than usual, don’t try to “catch your luck” even more: set a winning goal for the session and withdraw the surplus to a separate account immediately after the session ends. Similarly, if you are tired or have been losing for a long time, the best option is to stop playing and return to it the next day when your thoughts are clearer. This approach will help protect your capital and prevent emotions from taking over rational decisions.
In conclusion, what is a bankroll in poker? A poker bankroll is the amount you set aside for poker and treating it as a separate reserve shields your daily finances from poker’s swings. By funding and defending it—using session buy-ins, stop-loss limits and disciplined tracking—you maintain control and make strategic decisions. Consistency in protecting your bankroll lays the foundation for success.