Tournament bankroll strategies
Choose a bankroll plan that matches your edge, volume, and how much risk of ruin you can accept. Larger fields create greater variance and usually require more buy-ins than small fields.
Conservative ≈1 % RoR
For beginners or anyone who cannot reload easily.
Field-size fit: Ideal for large-field MTTs (around 1,000+ entrants) where variance and long dry spells are most severe.
- Buy-in cushion: 150 + (200 – 300 for the biggest fields)
- Recommended ROI: 1 – 3 %
- Survives 100-buy-in downswings but progresses slowly.
Standard ≈5 % RoR
The most common professional guideline for regular online schedules.
Field-size fit: Tuned for medium fields (about 200 – 1,000 runners) such as daily majors and many live dailies.
- Buy-in cushion: 100 (move down if bankroll dips under ~75)
- Recommended ROI: 5 – 10 %
- Balances growth rate with reasonable protection from variance.
Aggressive 10 %+ RoR
For proven crushers willing to reload and tolerate wild swings.
Field-size fit: Best for small-field nightly MTTs or sit-and-gos (≤200 entries) where variance is lower and edges show up faster.
- Buy-in cushion: 50 – 75 (drop down if roll falls below ~40)
- Recommended ROI: 10 % +
- Reaches higher stakes quickly but has a much higher bust probability.
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