Poker Shark
How much bankroll do you need for 100NL?
A solid winner (5bb/100) needs about $1,600 (16 buy-ins) to play 100NL with less than 5% risk of ruin over 100,000 hands. A modest winner (2bb/100) needs about $3,100 (31 buy-ins).
Solid winner (5 bb/100)
16 buy-ins of $100
Modest winner (2 bb/100)
31 buy-ins of $100
For less than 5% risk of ruin over 100,000 hands at 75 bb/100 standard deviation. Numbers come from the same Monte Carlo engine as the calculator.
100NL is the classic benchmark stake: the point where "I beat online poker" stops needing an asterisk. It is also where bankroll mistakes stop being cheap. The gap between the modest and solid requirement is $1,500, which is the dollar value of knowing your real win rate before you commit a real roll.
Look hard at the downswing line for this stake. Even at a solid 5bb/100, the 95th percentile worst stretch runs about $2,680 from peak, which is larger than the solid winner's entire minimum roll. That is not a contradiction: downswings are measured from your running peak, so a roll that has grown can absorb a swing bigger than your starting stake. It does mean the minimum is a floor, not a comfort zone.
If your measured win rate comes from fewer than 50,000 hands, treat it as a guess. The win rate sensitivity table in the calculator shows how much the picture changes if your true rate is a couple of big blinds worse than you think, and at 100NL stakes that difference is measured in thousands of dollars.
Opens the calculator preloaded for 100NL. Adjust your bankroll and win rate for a personal verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $3,000 enough for 100NL?
$3,000 is 30 buy-ins, and it almost exactly matches the simulated safe threshold for a modest 2bb/100 winner ($3,100). A solid 5bb/100 winner needs only about $1,600. So $3,000 is enough if you win at all; the question your sample size has to answer is whether you do.
What is a good win rate at 100NL?
Sustained 3-5bb/100 is a genuinely good win rate at 100NL; the pool has enough regulars that double-digit rates over big samples are rare. Because the bankroll requirement roughly halves between 2bb and 5bb/100, improving your win rate is worth more than any deposit.
When should I take a shot at 200NL?
The conservative trigger is 30 buy-ins at 200NL ($6,000). A common shot structure: move up with a 3 to 5 buy-in budget and step back down at 100NL immediately if it goes, protecting the roll you proved at this stake.
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