How much bankroll do you need for $2/$5?
$2/$5 is the first step up for most live regulars. You'll meet more experienced players, bigger bets and deeper stacks — buying in for 200 big blinds or more is common. Move up only when you can afford at least 20 to 30 buy-ins at the amount you'll really sit with.
| Approach | With $500 buy-ins (100bb) | With $1,000 buy-ins |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive (20 buy-ins) | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Moderate (30 buy-ins) | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Conservative (40 buy-ins) | $20,000 | $40,000 |
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 $25–$50 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.
Move-up and move-down rules for $2/$5
- Move down if your bankroll drops below 20 buy-ins ($10,000).
- 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 $2/$5 to plug in your own bankroll, or read our full poker bankroll management guide.