Tournament Bankroll Management: Buy-In Guidelines

## Bankroll Management for Various Tournament bankroll management requires more buy-ins than cash games due to significantly higher variance. In MTTs, you might cash only 15-20% of the time, with most of your profit coming from occasional deep runs and final table finishes. The standard recommendation is 100 buy-ins of your average buy-in (ABI). If your ABI is $20, maintain a $2,000 tournament bankroll. For $50 ABI, maintain $5,000. This large cushion is necessary because tournament players routinely experience 50-100 buy-in downswings even when playing well. Factor in field size when determining bankroll requirements. Larger fields (1,000+ players) have higher variance than smaller fields (100-200 players). If you primarily play large-field MTTs, consider adding 20-30% to your bankroll requirement. ## Rakeback and Bankroll Growth Rakeback accelerates bankroll growth by adding guaranteed income on top of your table winnings. At Various, the difference between 27% and 50% rakeback can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars per month in additional income that goes directly to building your bankroll. ## Key Rules - **Never play with scared money.** If losing a buy-in causes anxiety, drop down immediately. - **Track your bankroll daily.** Know exactly where you stand at all times. - **Have clear move-up and move-down criteria.** Set specific bankroll thresholds for changing stakes. - **Factor in rakeback.** Include expected rakeback income when calculating your effective bankroll growth rate. - **Keep poker and personal finances separate.** Maintain a dedicated poker bankroll that is completely independent of your living expenses.