Bankroll sanity for casual grinders
Buy-in multiples, stop rules, and a five-field session log that beats memory.
- mindset
- live
You do not need a spreadsheet degree—just enough structure that one ugly run does not become a lifestyle problem.
Buy-in multiples (real numbers people use)
- Live $1/$2 no-limit: keep 20–40 buy-ins ($4k–$8k if you buy in for $200) if you can reload from salary and treat poker as entertainment with an edge. Go 50+ if poker money must not touch rent.
- $2/$5: variance scales faster; 40 buy-ins minimum is common for serious hobbyists.
- Tournaments: field size matters more than stake. For large-field MTTs, serious players think 100+ buy-ins because payout structures are top-heavy.
These are guardrails, not religion—move down when you are under twenty comfortable buy-ins at your stake.
Stop-loss and time-stop pair
A stop-loss (e.g., −3 buy-ins) is not GTO; it is tilt insurance. Pair it with a hard clock (“I leave at 11 p.m. no matter what”) so fatigue does not undo the math you did sober.
Session log you will actually fill out
After each session write:
- Hours
- Game type & stake
- Net result
- One line: A-game, B-game, or C-game
- One hand or decision to review (not ten)
Patterns show up fast: “Every big loss this month was hour 4+ on Friday.” That is actionable; “I run bad” is not.
The only rule that matters off-felt
Separate poker money from spending money in a literal account or envelope. When the poker envelope is thin, you are done—no ATM trips that “do not count.”
Poker is long. Protect the seat by protecting the roll and the person funding it.