How much bankroll do you need for 10NL?

10NL is the first stake where bankroll thinking starts to matter, and also the stake where it is cheapest to get it wrong. The whole roll is a few hundred dollars, so treat it as tuition: if the worst happens, a rebuild costs less than a night out. That is why aggressive bankroll rules are defensible here in a way they are not at 100NL.

One thing that surprises new 10NL players is how much rake takes. Measured in big blinds, the micros pay the highest rake of any stake. The pools are also the softest, though, and that usually wins out: the same player tends to show a higher win rate at 10NL than at 50NL, and win rates shrink as you move up. If your results look thinner than your play feels, rake is part of the reason, and a sample that is still too small to trust is usually the rest.

The move-up target is 25NL. At 5bb/100 the simulator puts a safe 25NL roll at $725, which is close enough that many 10NL winners take the shot early and simply drop back down if it misses. With buy-ins this small, shot-taking is cheap and the experience is worth more than the money.