Poker Shark
How much bankroll do you need for $1/$2 live poker?
A solid live winner (8bb/100) needs about $2,800 (14 buy-ins of $200) to play $1/$2 with less than 5% risk of going broke over roughly two years of weekly play. A modest winner (4bb/100) needs about $4,200.
Solid winner (8 bb/100)
14 buy-ins of $200
Modest winner (4 bb/100)
21 buy-ins of $200
For less than 5% risk of ruin over 30,000 hands (about two years of weekly play) at 90 bb/100 standard deviation. Numbers come from the same Monte Carlo engine as the calculator.
$1/$2 is where most live players start, and the good news is that the classic advice overshoots for winners. The old "$4,000 to $6,000 for 1/2" range maps to 20 to 30 buy-ins; our simulations put a solid winner's actual under-5% threshold at $2,800, because live win rates per hand run higher than online and pull you out of trouble faster.
The catch is volume. Live poker deals about 25 to 30 hands an hour, so the same downswing that an online player clears in a month can take a live player most of a year of weekly sessions. A modest 1/2 winner's 95th percentile worst stretch is about $5,040, and at live pace that stretch can span more sessions than most players' patience. The roll exists to outlast the calendar, not just the cards.
These numbers assume win rates that are modest by live standards (4 to 8bb/100, which is roughly $2 to $4.50 an hour at 1/2). Plenty of studied players beat soft 1/2 games for more, and every extra big blind per hundred shrinks the bankroll you need. If you win at the rates good live players report, our thresholds are comfortably conservative.
Opens the calculator preloaded for $1/$2 live. Adjust your bankroll and win rate for a personal verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I buy in for at $1/$2?
A standard buy-in is 100 big blinds, which is $200 at 1/2. Many rooms allow up to $300. Buying in for the table maximum is right for a winning player because it lets your edge work in the biggest pots; buy in shorter only as a deliberate strategy, not to protect a thin bankroll.
Is $1,000 enough to play 1/2 live?
As a bankroll, no: $1,000 is 5 buy-ins, and our simulations put even a solid winner's safe threshold at $2,800. As a session budget backed by income you can comfortably replace, it is fine. The distinction matters: a bankroll has to survive downswings on its own.
How big do downswings get at 1/2?
Our simulations put the 95th percentile worst stretch at about $5,040 for a modest winner and $4,000 for a solid one, measured peak to trough. At live pace that can cover months of weekly sessions, which is why live downswings feel longer than they look on paper.
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