Buy-in Guidelines by Format
| Format | Conservative | Moderate | Aggressive |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLH Cash 6-max | 50 buy-ins | 30 buy-ins | 20 buy-ins |
| NLH Cash 9-max | 40 buy-ins | 25 buy-ins | 15 buy-ins |
| PLO Cash | 100 buy-ins | 60 buy-ins | 40 buy-ins |
| MTT | 200 buy-ins | 100 buy-ins | 50 buy-ins |
| SNG | 100 buy-ins | 50 buy-ins | 30 buy-ins |
| Spin / Jackpot | 200 buy-ins | 100 buy-ins | 50 buy-ins |
Why Bankroll Management Matters
Poker has built-in variance. Even winning players go through losing streaks that can last weeks or months. Bankroll management is the discipline of playing at stakes your total funds can support through these downswings without going broke. It is not about how good you are; it is about how much variance your bankroll can absorb.
The guidelines above reflect standard practice among professional and semi-professional players. Conservative numbers (50 buy-ins for cash, 200 for MTTs) give you a very low chance of going broke even during extended bad runs. Aggressive numbers (20 for cash, 50 for MTTs) accept more risk in exchange for the ability to play higher stakes sooner.
Ontario-Specific Stakes
The six regulated Ontario poker rooms offer stakes ranging from NL2 (blinds of $0.01/$0.02) up to NL500 (blinds of $2.50/$5.00) depending on the room and time of day. Traffic is strongest at NL5 through NL50, with higher stakes tables running intermittently. The calculator above uses these Ontario-available stakes to give you a concrete recommendation.
Because Ontario operates ring-fenced player pools, game selection is more limited than on global sites. This means you may need to be more conservative with bankroll management since you cannot always find the softest tables at your preferred stake. If shared liquidity becomes available in the future, game selection would improve and you could potentially play slightly more aggressively with your bankroll.
Move-Up and Move-Down Rules
The calculator shows you when to move up and when to move down. Following these thresholds strictly prevents two common mistakes: playing too high after a hot streak (and giving back the gains) and refusing to drop down during a cold streak (and burning through your bankroll). Set these thresholds before you play and stick to them regardless of how you feel about your recent results.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the format and your risk tolerance. For No Limit Hold'em cash games, 30 buy-ins at your stake is a common moderate guideline. Tournament players need more, typically 100 buy-ins, because variance is higher. Conservative players may want 50 buy-ins for cash and 200 for tournaments.
With $500, a conservative cash game player (50 buy-ins) should play NL10 ($10 max buy-in). A moderate player (30 buy-ins) could play NL16 or NL25. For tournaments, $500 supports buy-ins in the $5 to $10 range at moderate risk tolerance.
A common approach is to move up when your bankroll reaches the recommended number of buy-ins for the next stake level. If you are playing NL10 with a 30 buy-in rule and your bankroll grows to $750, you have 30 buy-ins for NL25 and can consider moving up.
Move down when your bankroll drops below the recommended number of buy-ins for your current stake. Using the 30 buy-in rule at NL25, if your bankroll drops below $500, step back to NL10 until you rebuild. Discipline here prevents going broke.