Poker Bankroll Management — Complete Guide

Bankroll (BR) is the defined amount you\'ve dedicated to poker only. It\'s completely separate from your living money — salary, savings, household expenses. Why it\'s critical: poker has high variance. Even a player winning 5BB/100 can be down over 20,000 hands. Playing with a bankroll that\'s too small — you go broke before variance evens out.

Core principle: your BR must be large enough to absorb a downswing without panic-dropping levels. The more volatile the format — the more units you need.

These are the accepted rules in the pro poker community (based on variance analysis by Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, and others):

• Cash NLH (6-max): 30–50 buy-ins. Conservative — 50. Aggressive w/ living BR — 100.
• Cash NLH (Full Ring): 20–30 buy-ins. Lower variance.
• PLO / Cash: 50–100 buy-ins. Much higher variance than NLH.
• MTT (large tournaments): 100–200 buy-ins. Low ITM chance → huge variance.
• SNG (Sit & Go): 40–80 buy-ins.
• Spin & Go / Jackpot SNGs: 100–200 buy-ins. Exponential prize structure.

Simple rule: "Shot Taking". Move to the next level once you have the full BR required for the new level. If you lose 10% of BR at the new level — drop back immediately until you\'re stable again.

Signs you\'re ready:

• You\'ve won at the current level over at least 20,000 hands (Cash) or 200 tournaments (MTT).
• Stable positive ROI, not driven by a single big tournament.
• Your BR meets or exceeds the minimum for the new level.
• You\'re comfortable losing 3 buy-ins in a row without tilt.

Moving down is not weakness — it\'s discipline. Always move down when your BR drops below the minimum for the current level. Players who refuse to move down go broke within weeks.

Ask yourself after every session: "If this loss repeated 5 times in a row — would my BR survive?" If not — you\'re playing too high.

• Mixing bankroll with living money — the biggest one. Open a separate account or separate tracking.
• Shot-taking large tournaments with no plan — "let\'s try the Main Event" with 3% of BR is not a shot, it\'s gambling.
• Not moving down after a downswing — "I\'m too good for that level". That\'s masked tilt.
• Ignoring format variance — same BR that suits Cash 6-max is not enough for MTT.
• Not tracking results — without PokerTracker/Hand2Note you don\'t really know if you\'re winning.

At PokerGG.co.il you manage your BR through GGPoker\'s ClubGG app. Every load or withdrawal goes through an Israeli agent who supports you, making it easier to keep control — the agent can help you set realistic stakes and make sure you don\'t jump to a level that\'s too high.

See also: detailed blog article on Bankroll · poker glossary.