How much bankroll do you need for $1/$2?
$1/$2 is where most live players start. Games are usually loose and passive, with lots of limping and multiway pots, so a solid player can win steadily — but the rake and tips are a large share of every pot. Many card rooms allow buy-ins between $100 and $300, and some allow more.
| Approach | With $200 buy-ins (100bb) | With $300 buy-ins |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive (20 buy-ins) | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Moderate (30 buy-ins) | $6,000 | $9,000 |
| Conservative (40 buy-ins) | $8,000 | $12,000 |
Live games are slower and usually softer than online games, so live players can often use fewer buy-ins. If poker money comes from your salary and you can top it up, the aggressive figure is fine. If your bankroll is all you have, use the conservative one.
What can you expect to win?
A solid live player might win 5–10 big blinds per hour, which is $10–$20 an hour at these stakes before tips. Results swing a lot in the short term: see how big your swings could be with the variance calculator, and check your chance of going broke with the risk of ruin calculator. Rake matters too — see what it costs with the rake calculator.
Move-up and move-down rules for $1/$2
- Move down if your bankroll drops below 20 buy-ins ($4,000).
- Move up when you have 30 buy-ins for the next level.
- Take shots with a fixed number of buy-ins set aside, and step back down if you lose them.
Open the bankroll calculator for $1/$2 to plug in your own bankroll, or read our full poker bankroll management guide.