Buy-In — Poker Term Explained

A buy-in is the amount required to enter a game. In a tournament it splits between the prize pool and an entry fee, and it buys a fixed starting stack that is identical for every player. In a cash game the buy-in is what you put on the table, between a stated minimum and maximum — and there the chips equal the value you brought, while tournament chips are only a measuring device until the payouts.

The buy-in is your main risk-control lever. The standard cash-game guideline is to bring no more than you are comfortable playing with in that session, and to sit with the maximum only when you are comfortable playing deep against the biggest stacks. In tournaments, how many buy-ins you have available should shape your format choice: the thinner the cushion, the more you should favour lower-variance structures and fewer simultaneous tables.

The usual error is sizing the buy-in around the urge to win a loss back rather than around bankroll size. The second is not checking the fee component inside the buy-in — fee structures vary from event to event, so it is worth comparing them before you register. The third is sitting down without checking the table's buy-in limits and the stack depths around you, and then playing at a depth you never intended.

• Tournament buy-in = prize-pool contribution + entry fee
• A cash table sets a minimum and maximum buy-in, and those limits vary by table and format
• Every tournament entrant starts with the same chip stack
• Re-entries, rebuys and add-ons exist only in some events, and their rules and costs differ from event to event