Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) offer life-changing wins, but they come with the highest variance in poker. It is common to go months without a significant score.
This calculator uses the Kelly Criterion adapted for tournament variance to tell you exactly how many Buy-ins (BI) you need to keep in your cashier to survive the swings based on your edge (ROI) and field size.
MTT Bankroll
How to Use the Bankroll Manager
- Avg Buy-in ($): Your Average Buy-In (ABI). If you play $11, $22, and $33 tournaments, your ABI is roughly $22.
- Expected ROI (%): Your Return on Investment. A solid reg has 15-25%. A crusher has 30%+. Be realistic; overestimating ROI leads to bankruptcy.
- Field Size: This determines Variance.
- Small (100 players): Lower variance, smaller bankroll needed (~100 BI).
- Huge (2000+ players): Extreme variance, massive bankroll needed (~500+ BI).
- Risk Tolerance:
- Standard (1% Risk of Ruin): Recommended for serious players.
- Conservative: Recommended for pros who rely on poker for bills.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do I need 500 Buy-ins for large fields?
In massive fields (like the Sunday Million), you only hit the final table once every few thousand attempts. Your bankroll must be deep enough to sustain the entry fees for thousands of tournaments while you wait for that one outlier result.