Bankroll Calculator
Calculate the optimal bankroll for your stakes based on win rate, standard deviation, and risk tolerance. Find out how many buy-ins you need.
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Risk Presets
Recommended Bankroll
Bankroll Needed
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Buy-ins Needed
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Assessment
General Guidelines
How to Calculate Your Poker Bankroll
Proper bankroll management is the single most important discipline for long-term poker success. Even winning players can go broke without sufficient bankroll to weather the inevitable downswings.
The Risk of Ruin Formula
This calculator uses the risk of ruin formula to determine the minimum bankroll needed:
Bankroll = -(SD² ÷ 2 × WR) × ln(RoR)
Where SD is your standard deviation, WR is your win rate, and RoR is your acceptable risk of ruin percentage.
Key Factors
- Win Rate: Your expected profit per 100 hands. Higher win rates require smaller bankrolls.
- Standard Deviation: A measure of variance. Higher variance games (PLO, tournaments) require larger bankrolls. Typical values: 60-100 bb/100 for cash games.
- Risk of Ruin: The probability you'll lose your entire bankroll. 1-5% is standard for professional players.
Cash Games vs. Tournaments
Tournaments have much higher variance than cash games due to top-heavy payout structures and the all-or-nothing nature of each event. This means tournament players need significantly larger bankrolls — typically 100+ buy-ins compared to 20-50 for cash games.
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