How much should i buy in for in low limit hold'em

Question

I have heard that you should have a bankroll of around somewhere of 300 x the big bet. What should be your buy in to a table, so lets say i'm playing $0.25/$0.5 limit, how much should i buy in to that table for

Answer 1

20-25 big bets should be plenty.  If you burn through this amount, then something is likely not right today, either you're off your game, or your opponnents are better than they seem.  That's the reason I use this amount.

Generally, I will begin right away with a few winning hands and not look back, but if I start off by taking some beats/coolers, then I'll probably go down about 1/2 my buyin, or 10-12 big bets before it starts turning around.

So if you're playing $0.25/$0.50, sit down with $10-$12.50.  If that makes you feel cramped, then by all means put more on the table, but just take note of what you sat with, and if you get down 20-25bb you should definitely re-evaluate the situation, and determine if it's really a profitable one.

*Lol Nick, you could sit at a $4/$8 table with that*

A lot of people are saying to buy in with a giant stack, but you really shouldn't do that at low limit.  First of all, your competition's not going to be "bullying" short stacks.  You can't really do that in a cash game, much less a limit one.  Bullying works because of the threat of elimination inherent in tournament play.  If you can simply rebuy, then bullying doesn't exist, and actually shortstacks gain a mathematical advantage.  Secondly, most low limit players are there strictly for fun, they just like playing cards.  You'll make a lot of your money from their loose calls.  Many of these players buy in for the minimum or near it.  If you buy in for a lot more than this, like say, $150 or $200 (fwiw, most limit tables literally have no limit for the buyin, you could sit with $500,000 if you wanted), then those fish get nervous.  They wonder, did he win all that from people?  Is he that good?  They may even start avoiding you at the table.  This isn't what you want them to be thinking.  You don't want them thinking at all, rather just blissfully and ignorantly making those loose calls they like to make.  That's why I suggest the amount I do, it's enough to give you plenty of room to work with, you'll not have to worry about not having enough money to keep getting bets in if you hit the nuts, and you're still under the radar so to speak of the fish.  If you start to get low, you can just put more money on the table.  Honestly, don't do it all at once, because it'll have a -EV effect on your action.

Answer 2

Around $150 / £85, go get 'em!

Answer 3

I would buy in for 10 times the big blind of $5.  I would bring another 2 buy-ins to the game.  If I lose three buy-ins, then something is wrong with the way I played or the game is wrong for me.

Notice that if you lose all your money in ten straight sessions that you will have exhausted your bankroll.

Answer 4

Well it`s limit so the buy in isn`t significant other than you always want to have enough chips to play and never want to be all in since that won`t allow you maximum value for your hands.  You don`t want to go too big though as this will have you looking like a big player and others may not want to play against you as much.  Best to go fairly low here - 20 BB, and buy in more if that goes below 10.

King Cobra Poker

http://kingcobrapoker.com/

Answer 5

Most casinos have a lower and upper limit you can buy in for.

You should always buy in for the maximum, whatever that is.

In limit, your whole stack is unlikely to be at risk in a single hand, like it is in no limit.

If you buy in for the minimum, you are going to look and feel short stacked at the table, which has a negative impact on your table image.  You are more likely to get bullied by the larger stacks.

If you can't afford to buy in for the maximum, you need to play at lower stakes.

Answer 6

Yes, generally 300 times the big bet is ideal.  Most casinos have a limit anyway, and you usually want to buy in for that limit.

This is assuming you're talking about no/pot limit tables.  You can buy-in for considerably less at fixed limit tables.  Generally 50 x the big bet is enough at a limit table.  So, if the BB is 50 cents, $25-30 would be sufficient at a limit table, but $150 would be an ideal amount at a no limit table.