Poker Shark
How much bankroll do you need for 25NL?
A solid winner (5bb/100) needs about $400 (16 buy-ins) for 25NL with less than 5% risk of ruin. A modest winner (2bb/100) needs about $775 (31 buy-ins).
Solid winner (5 bb/100)
16 buy-ins of $25
Modest winner (2 bb/100)
31 buy-ins of $25
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.
25NL is a transition stake. The pool still contains plenty of recreational players, but you will also meet your first regulars who take the game seriously, and the difference between a 2bb/100 and a 5bb/100 win rate here is the difference between needing $775 and $400 behind you. Your win rate is doing more work than your deposit.
This is also the stake where downswings start to feel like real money. A modest winner's 95th percentile worst stretch at this level runs around $975 from peak to trough. Nothing about that means you are playing badly. If seeing your roll drop by that much would push you into worse decisions, hold a deeper cushion than the minimum.
Move-up math: a safe 50NL roll for a solid winner is about $800. Grinding from a 25NL bankroll to that number is a realistic mid-term goal, and the calculator above will tell you how many hands it takes at your actual win rate.
Opens the calculator preloaded for 25NL. Adjust your bankroll and win rate for a personal verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many buy-ins do I need for 25NL?
Depends on your win rate. Our simulations say 16 buy-ins ($400) for a 5bb/100 winner and 31 buy-ins ($775) for a 2bb/100 winner, both for less than 5% risk of ruin over 100,000 hands.
Can I skip 25NL and jump from 10NL to 50NL?
You can, but you give up cheap information. 25NL teaches you to play against your first real regulars while mistakes still cost a quarter of what they cost at 50NL. If your roll covers 50NL comfortably and 10NL felt easy, a shot is defensible; otherwise the ladder exists for a reason.
When should I move up to 50NL?
A conservative trigger is 30 buy-ins for the next stake, which is $1,500 for 50NL. Take the shot with a step-down rule: if the shot costs you a set number of buy-ins, drop back to 25NL and rebuild without drama.
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