Poker Bankroll & Risk of Ruin Calculator
Calculate continuous Risk of Ruin (RoR), recommended buy-in depth, and Kelly criterion stake sizing for online cash games. Protect your poker capital against negative variance.
Bankroll & Performance Parameters
BROWNIAN DIFFUSIONYour dedicated poker capital reserved exclusively for table buy-ins.
Long-term win rate. Micro/mid stakes winners typically sustain 2.5 to 8.0 bb/100.
Full Ring: ~70 bb/100 | 6-Max NLHE: ~85 bb/100 | Heads-Up / PLO: ~110–140 bb/100.
Your bankroll provides solid statistical insulation against standard deviation downswings. Safe for continuous volume.
Capital Requirements by Acceptable Risk of Ruin Threshold
| Target Ruin Risk | Buy-ins (100 BB) | Required Bankroll | Your Reserve Status |
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The Sharp's Bankroll Survival Protocol
In online poker, bankroll management is not a suggestion — it is an existential defense system. Even world-class players with a 5.0 bb/100 win rate will routinely experience 15 to 20 buy-in downswings due to standard deviation. If you only keep 20 buy-ins for your limit, you will inevitably go broke during a statistical cold deck.
The professional sharp treats moving down in stakes not as a failure, but as a routine operational protocol. Establish a hard stop-loss: if your bankroll drops below 25 buy-ins for your current limit, step down immediately until you recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Risk of Ruin (RoR) in poker? ▼
Risk of Ruin is the mathematical probability that an investor or poker player with a given win rate and standard deviation will lose their entire bankroll before reaching an arbitrary target profit.
How many buy-ins should I keep for 6-max online cash games? ▼
For a solid winning player (3 to 5 bb/100), keeping 40 to 60 buy-ins ensures a Risk of Ruin below 1%. If your win rate is marginal (1 to 2 bb/100), you need 80 to 100 buy-ins.
Why do sharps recommend Half Kelly instead of Full Kelly? ▼
Full Kelly experiences savage drawdowns of 50% or more and assumes you know your win rate with 100% precision. Half Kelly cuts variance in half while preserving 75% of maximum growth, providing a crucial safety cushion.
How is Risk of Ruin calculated mathematically? ▼
Under continuous Brownian motion: RoR = exp(-2 × μ × B / σ²), where μ is win rate per hand, B is bankroll in big blinds, and σ is standard deviation per hand.
When should I take shots at higher stakes? ▼
Take a shot when your bankroll reaches 50+ buy-ins of the higher limit. Commit to a strict 3-buy-in stop-loss: if you lose 3 buy-ins at the new stake, drop back down immediately without hesitation.
Apply Your Strategy
Put what you learned into practice at a licensed poker room with fair games and fast payouts.