With 200 dollars, play NL2 to NL5 in club apps: that is 40 to 100 buy-ins, which loose multiway tables need. With 500 dollars NL10 is reasonable, with 1,000 dollars NL25. Rakeback shifts these numbers, because a 40 percent return on rake lowers your variance more than any strategy change. And before any of that, check what one chip is worth in the club, because NL10 at a 1 ruble chip and NL10 at a 1 dollar chip are two different games.
Why club tables need more buy-ins than a room
Club tables run looser than a licensed room at the same label. Many unions put a minimum VPIP on every cash table, 30 percent at the low limits in the ClubGG union we run, 45 percent on some PLO5 tables, so players are required to enter nearly a third of hands or more. Pots go multiway, stacks move faster, and a winning player’s swings are wider than the same player’s swings at a tight NL10 online. Wider swings mean more buy-ins for the same risk of ruin. The usual room advice of 30 buy-ins for cash, the one in the general bankroll guide, is the floor here, not the target.
The table
| Bankroll | NLH cash, loose club tables | PLO4 / PLO5 | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 $ | NL2 (100 buy-ins) to NL5 (40) | PLO2 | buy-ins up to 2 $ |
| 500 $ | NL5 (100) to NL10 (50) | PLO5 at 5 | buy-ins up to 5 $ |
| 1,000 $ | NL10 (100) to NL25 (40) | PLO10 | buy-ins up to 10 $ |
| 2,500 $ | NL25 (100) to NL50 (50) | PLO25 | buy-ins up to 25 $ |
The ranges are deliberate. The lower stake in each row is where you sit when you are new to the club or on a downswing; the higher one is where you sit with a month of results behind you. For Omaha take the higher buy-in count every time: PLO5 variance is roughly double hold’em’s. For tournaments the rule of thumb is 100 buy-ins, and club MTT fields come from one union, so late registration and overlay change the maths in your favour more often than in a big room.
Chip value changes the stakes
In club apps the chip is set by the club, not the app. On our clubs it is 1 ruble, 100 rubles or 1 dollar depending on the union. A table labelled 5/10 is 5 and 10 chips, so at a 1 ruble chip it is 5 and 10 rubles, at a 100 ruble chip it is 500 and 1,000 rubles, at a 1 dollar chip it is 5 and 10 dollars. Before you sit, convert the chip to your currency and read the table from that, not from the label. The club list on this site shows the chip value for every club.
Rakeback in the maths
Rakeback is paid on rake, not on results. At NL10 on loose tables a full-time player pays a few hundred dollars of rake a month; 40 percent of that back is a winrate of its own, and it arrives in losing months as well as winning ones. In practice that lets you sit one row lower in buy-ins than the table above, because part of the variance is covered. A player with no rakeback deal should sit one row higher.
When to move up, and when to drop
Move up when you have the buy-ins for the next stake by the table above and at least a month of hands at the current one with a positive result. Take a shot with a fixed number of buy-ins, five is common, and drop back to the previous stake if they are gone. Drop when the bankroll falls below the lower bound of your row, not when it feels bad. The rule written down in advance is the whole point; a rule decided at the table is not a rule. What to work on at the lowest rows is in the micro-stakes guide.
FAQ
What stakes should I play with a 200 dollar bankroll in club poker?
NL2 to NL5 in hold’em, PLO2 in Omaha, tournaments up to 2 dollars. Club tables run loose, so 40 to 100 buy-ins is the range, not the 30 of a tight room.
How many buy-ins do I need for NL10 in a club app?
50 to 100, so 500 to 1,000 dollars. Take the higher number if you play PLO or have no rakeback deal.
Does rakeback change bankroll requirements?
Yes. It is paid on rake regardless of results, so it covers part of the variance. A 40 percent deal lets you sit one row lower in the table; no deal means one row higher.
Why does the chip value matter for stakes?
Because the table label counts chips, not money. 5/10 at a 1 ruble chip and 5/10 at a 1 dollar chip differ by the exchange rate. Read the chip value first, then the stake.
When should I move up a stake?
When you have the buy-ins for the next stake and a month of positive results at the current one. Take a shot with a fixed number of buy-ins and drop back if they are gone.
To find a club at your stake and chip value, see the club list on this site or message @rpunion on Telegram with what you play.
18+. Play within your means.