Bankroll Calculator
Updated
Work it either way. Tell it what you are prepared to risk and it gives you the unit you can support; tell it the unit you want and it gives you the bankroll that unit requires.
- Based on the same risk-of-ruin model and our computed 1.1322 deviation.
- A 1% edge and 5% acceptable ruin needs about 190 units.
- Most serious players use 400 units or more.
- Without an edge, this is a budget rather than a bankroll.
Work it out
How it works
It inverts the risk-of-ruin formula. For an acceptable ruin probability R:
B = −σ² · ln(R) ÷ (2e)
The relationship is worth noticing: halving your acceptable risk does not double the bankroll, it adds a fixed amount. Going from 10% to 5% ruin costs about the same number of units as going from 5% to 2.5%.
The reality check
Run it with a realistic edge. A counter at a table with 50% penetration is not making 1% — they are making a fraction of it, and the bankroll requirement rises accordingly.
Then run it backwards: take what you could genuinely afford to lose, divide by 400, and see what unit that implies. For most people the answer is a table, and finding one is most of the problem. That number is more useful than any of the theory above.
If the answer comes out uncomfortable, that is the calculator working. the line that matters.
Keep reading
By Martin Kosek · every number on this site is computed by us, not copied.
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