How much bankroll do I need before going to a casino for a 1/2 game?

I play online at microstakes and in some home games that are <50 $ buy ins.
I am trying to improve before doing any live poker because the stakes are high and I don't want to be relying on running good. Any suggestions?

I read all the time you need to have 200 buy ins to have a "security bankroll" but i play PLO with 100 buy ins. If you follow me with 100 buy ins, you need 20.000,00 to play 1/2

Naltro said:

I play online at microstakes and in some home games that are <50 $ buy ins.
I am trying to improve before doing any live poker because the stakes are high and I don't want to be relying on running good. Any suggestions?

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Kinalha said:

I read all the time you need to have 200 buy ins to have a "security bankroll" but i play PLO with 100 buy ins. If you follow me with 100 buy ins, you need 20.000,00 to play 1/2

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Take it easy on the guy man ! 20K to play 1/2 ? It would be nice though, but with that much, I'm sure he could jump to some higher stakes...
And Naltro, I'm sure that you can comfortably play live 1/2 with a BR of 2K.

najisami said:

Take it easy on the guy man ! 20K to play 1/2 ? It would be nice though, but with that much, I'm sure he could jump to some higher stakes...
And Naltro, I'm sure that you can comfortably play live 1/2 with a BR of 2K.

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If I think something similar, I think that with 4,000 is more than enough to play quietly are something like 20 boxes I think

najisami said:

Take it easy on the guy man ! 20K to play 1/2 ? It would be nice though, but with that much, I'm sure he could jump to some higher stakes...
And Naltro, I'm sure that you can comfortably play live 1/2 with a BR of 2K.

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seiya1989 said:

If I think something similar, I think that with 4,000 is more than enough to play quietly are something like 20 boxes I think

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Thanks for the replies!

Are you are just going for the evening or a short visit. If so you don't need a great amount. I usually give myself a limit of $200-$400 (one or two buy ins) and that is usually fine for one nights entertainment at the $1 $2 table. Now if you are going there to make a living you will need much much more. GL and have fun!

Naltro said:

Thanks for the replies!

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no problem bro !!

Naltro said:

I play online at microstakes and in some home games that are <50 $ buy ins.
I am trying to improve before doing any live poker because the stakes are high and I don't want to be relying on running good. Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

For live $1/$2 games, 3-4 buy-ins are comfortable for a single session. Most games these days have higher buy-in limits than 100BB. So if it is a $300 max then $1000 and get up and leave if your stack drops below your last $300. This should get you thru an 8 hour session (of course there are exceptions due to run bad and game action). Match-stack limits present different considerations based on when the game started and action since the start.

If you are completely new to live poker, it probably does not make any sense to think about a bankroll before even trying it. A bankroll is meant to make sure, you can continue to play without going broke due to variance, if you are a winning player. So the time to think about a bankroll will be, if you decide, that yes you like live poker, and you are going to play say 2-3 evenings every week in your local casino. Until then it makes more sense to take about a budget for the evening, as Jillychemung say.

As for playing online as a preparation for live poker, the main point is to improve rather than "build a bankroll". If you can beat 10NL cash games online, then you can almost certainly also beat soft 1/2 live games in a casino. At least when you get used to the live environment and develop a good poker face etc. So there is no reason to continue with online poker just to build up a bankroll for live poker. At least not if you have the option to save up money from your payroll and create the bankroll that way. For instance you can set aside 500$ every month, and then within a year you will have 6.000$, which should be plenty for 1/2.

najisami said:

Take it easy on the guy man ! 20K to play 1/2 ? It would be nice though, but with that much, I'm sure he could jump to some higher stakes...
And Naltro, I'm sure that you can comfortably play live 1/2 with a BR of 2K.

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"Normal" online session you open 2,3,4 tables. 2k of bankroll with 4 tables open you are playing with close to 50% of bankroll with 200 dollars, one bad run and you broken.

Kinalha said:

"Normal" online session you open 2,3,4 tables. 2k of bankroll with 4 tables open you are playing with close to 50% of bankroll with 200 dollars, one bad run and you broken.

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OP is asking about live poker not online.

Naltro said:

I play online at microstakes and in some home games that are <50 $ buy ins.
I am trying to improve before doing any live poker because the stakes are high and I don't want to be relying on running good. Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Sitting down at any cash game, and the rule of thumb is double that of a normal MTT game. So for a $1/$2 game instead of a $200 BR, you must have at least a $400 BR. Cash games can be brutal when you are going to face Straddles, Raises and re-raises at most cash tables, Not because they have a good hand, but a Straddle is blind bet made before the cards are dealt. and it is double the previous bet, I have seen some cash games where there has been 3, 4, or 5 straddles before the cards are dealt, and each Straddle doubles the previous bet. So it soon becomes a bet from the biggest stacks that will take the pot down.
If you want to go to a Casino to experience Live Poker, try finding out their Tournament Timetable, and buy-in to a Tournament, with a buy-in you are comfortable and willing to lose, because at your first visit you probably will.
While you are there you can check out the cash tables and watch some of the action that happens in a cash game.
Good Luck!

Kinalha said:

"Normal" online session you open 2,3,4 tables. 2k of bankroll with 4 tables open you are playing with close to 50% of bankroll with 200 dollars, one bad run and you broken.

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I agree, you are right, except that the topic is about live games !

najisami said:

I agree, you are right, except that the topic is about live games !

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U right, sorry

Kinalha said:

U right, sorry

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Nothing to be sorry about man.
I just want to add that no matter what you are playing, the BIGGER your BR is, the better.
I wish I had 100K on each of the 3 sites I play on, so I could play whatever I want with no worries 😅🤣🤣

Naltro said:

I play online at microstakes and in some home games that are <50 $ buy ins.
I am trying to improve before doing any live poker because the stakes are high and I don't want to be relying on running good. Any suggestions?

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If you're trying to improve before going live then I'd stick w/the "improving my game" aspect of this statement, at least for a little while. $1/2 NLH is the standard starting rung for most of us, so the competition is going to be fierce. There will be players like you that are trying to give their live game a shot along w/other players (sharks) looking to exploit these players.
As far as how much to bring to a 1/2 table depends on how much you are willing to lose. I would suggest playing w/$500 or $600 at first and see how it goes. GL man.

This was helpful. I’m getting back into online after what seemed like 6-8 months off and am now tempted to go back to live 1/2 poker. Back when I played live more often, the buy in max was 300 and I always bought in 200 with a comfortable 2k budget for poker

I would say to feel comfortable playing you would want at least 20 buy ins so 4k. People playing online are playing multiple tables so you could lose 4 or 5 stacks in a matter of minutes but live you are only playing 1 table at a slow pace.

Some people have said they are happy to play with 10 buy ins as they think they have a large edge over everyone else but it's each to their own, I would want more than 2k though.