Cash-Game Planning

Poker Buy-In Calculator

Enter the big blind to see common stack depths expressed in dollars. This is an educational stack-size calculator, not a recommendation to buy in for a particular amount.

Why stack depth matters

A $300 stack means something different in a $1/$3 game than in a $2/$5 game. Poker strategy often describes stacks in big blinds because that normalizes the amount relative to the forced bet size.

Common reference points

20bb is short. 50bb is medium-short. 100bb is a common full-stack reference point. 150–200bb is increasingly deep. Actual room minimums and maximums can differ, so always check the venue's published buy-in rules.

Example: in a $1/$3 game, 100 big blinds equals $300. In a $2/$5 game, 100 big blinds equals $500.