Bankroll Requirements for NL

kk_rush

Hey guys. I was going to put this in the NL forum but it really isn't a "strategy" question per se.

I used to play a lot of limit poker but have started playing NL cash games online. So my question is more about bankroll requirements for NL.

I know that an adequate bankroll for limit games (depending on your style) is about 350 to 500BB which I do have.

For NL, I know things are a little different as an adequate bankroll is measured more in terms of buy-ins. I remember Chris Ferguson saying to only risk 5% of your bankroll at any given time....is this too conservative or just about right?

Also I have another stupid question. When people are refering that they play 20NL or 50NL games online, I'm assuming that this means it is the maximum buy-in allowed for those tables? Stupid question I know...

m_dolens

i personally agree with the 5% of your BR rule (i.e. don't buy in with more than 5% of your BR) for cash games and STTs. for MTTs i'll even consider going further and saying don't use more than 2% of your BR. that being sad, i'm probably more on the conservative side and i'm willing to increase my BR slower in order to avoid bigger swings (possibly because i hate losing/spending money, and possibly because i haven't had a job for about three years now (i was a student) and poker is the only means of income for me at the moment).

and yes, 20NL or 50NL refers to the max buy-in in a cash game.

cadillac

Here is what I think:

For $10NL you need at least $100.
This is 10 BI and if you are playing conservatively and spotting good spots to bet for value your risk of ruin is minimal.

$25NL you need $500.
This is 20BI and gives you a little more cushion for the higher variance expected.

$50NL you should have about $1250.
25BI and you will need the cushion. IMO


$100NL $3000.
30BI more cushion.

kk_rush

Thanks for the replies guys. Based on this info, I seem to be fine bankroll wise for the games I'm playing in.

GTA Poker

45-50bi is standard for online games

ReefAquarium

The answers above are reasonable.

To properly answer this question you need to know your win rate and standard deviation.

Then you need to know your tolerance for risk of ruin.