Bankroll management
The discipline of only playing stakes your bankroll can survive. Rules of thumb: 20–50 buy-ins for cash games, 100 or more for tournaments, and moving down when the roll shrinks.
Frequently asked questions
What is bankroll management in poker?
Choosing stakes so that normal variance cannot wipe you out — keeping enough buy-ins in reserve that a losing stretch is an inconvenience rather than the end.
How many buy-ins do you need?
It depends on the format's variance. Cash-game guidelines commonly start around 30 to 50 buy-ins for a stake; multi-table tournaments need far more, often quoted at 100 or several hundred, because the swings are so much larger. These are rules of thumb, not rules.
Why does it matter if you are a winning player?
Because being a winner does not protect you from a long downswing — it only means you recover from one if you are still playing. Almost every player who leaves the game broke was beating some stake at some point and was playing above their roll when the run came.