Poker Bankroll Calculator (Free) — Minimum Bankroll by Stake

Minimum bankroll$10,000

Recommended bankroll$15,000

Comfortable / professional$20,000

Based on Live Cash Game guidelines (20–40 buy-ins) and moderate risk tolerance. The math assumes a meaningful realized sample (50k+ cash hands or 1k+ tournaments) at this stake.

How big should my poker bankroll be?

Standard poker bankroll guidelines are 20–40 buy-ins for live cash, 30–50 for online cash, 100+ for live tournaments, and 200–300 for online tournaments. PLO and mixed games need 50% more than NLHE. The right number depends on your win rate, the variance of your format, and whether poker income pays your rent. The calculator above gives you a starting point; track your real win rate and standard deviation over time to refine it.

How this calculator works

The calculator uses the standard buy-in multipliers from poker bankroll management theory, adjusted for your risk tolerance:

Live cash: 20–40 buy-ins (recommended 30)
Online cash: 30–50 buy-ins (recommended 40)
Live tournaments: 100–200 buy-ins (recommended 120)
Online tournaments: 200–300 buy-ins (recommended 250)
Sit & Gos: 80–150 buy-ins (recommended 100)
PLO / mixed cash: 40–70 buy-ins (recommended 50)

Aggressive risk tolerance multiplies the bankroll by 0.8 — fine if you can move down the moment you drop below threshold. Moderate is the default. Conservative multiplies by 1.4 — appropriate when poker income is your primary income.

What to do with this number

Use the recommended number as your target. Use the minimum as your stake-down threshold — if your bankroll falls below this for your current stake, drop down a level immediately. Use the comfortable number as your stake-up threshold — if your bankroll rises to this for the next stake up, you have room to move up with a buffer.

The number is only as good as the assumptions behind it. The standard multipliers assume you have a positive win rate at the stake. If you do not, no bankroll is large enough. Why bankroll management matters →

Frequently asked questions

How does this poker bankroll calculator work?

It multiplies your buy-in by the recommended buy-in count for your format (20–40 for live cash, 30–50 for online cash, 100+ for live tournaments, 200–300 for online tournaments, 40–70 for PLO/mixed), then adjusts up or down based on your risk tolerance setting.

What is a good risk-of-ruin target?

Most serious players target risk of ruin below 5%. Aggressive bankroll management runs ~10% risk of ruin and requires immediate move-down discipline. Conservative bankroll management targets ~1% risk of ruin and is appropriate for professionals whose income depends on poker.

Why does PLO require more buy-ins than NLHE?

PLO has roughly 2× the variance of NLHE because more equity runs together preflop and four-card hands flop big draws more often. The same realized win rate produces wider swings, so you need more buy-ins to ride them out without going broke.

Should I use the minimum or recommended number?

Use minimum only if you can move down to the next stake immediately when you drop below threshold. Use recommended if you want a buffer for variance without being over-rolled. Use the conservative number if poker income pays rent.

How does StackEdge use these numbers?

StackEdge tracks your actual realized win rate and standard deviation from your session log. It then computes your risk of ruin live and recommends stake-up or stake-down moves automatically. The calculator on this page is the starting point; StackEdge is the always-on version.

Want StackEdge to update this number every session? Download free on the App Store →

Last updated: May 19, 2026 · Written by Timothy J. Casatelli