Protect and grow your poker bankroll with this guide to tournament bankroll management. Practical rules and calculations.
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.