Overall Bankroll

Overall Bankroll - Minimum & Maximum Stakes

Before you know how much money you're taking with you, you should know just what level of game you're going to be playing at. If you're going to be playing at a $25, then you'll need so much money. If you're going to be playing at a $5 table, obviously, you'll need less money.

Conversely, if your bankroll is limited for gambling, then you'll have to figure out what game will accommodate your bankroll. For example, if you're taking $500 to Vegas for a weekend, you would be foolish to be betting $100 a hand, or even $50 a hand. You'd be in danger of losing it all in one hour of bad luck.

If you are going to be spending at least a weekend of play, or if you are going to a resort like Atlantic City and expect to put in a good eight to ten hours of blackjack, then you will need at least 200-300 times your minimum bet as your bankroll for the time you are at the resort.

Thus, if you are going to be playing at a $5 table, the minimum you should take with you is $1,000 and the maximum you will probably need is $1,500. $1,000 is perhaps scraping the bottom of the barrel while $1,500 would be a better sum to start with.

If you are at a $25 table, then $5,000 would be a minimum sum to have with you, and $7,500 a very comfortable sum to gamble with.

A $2 table would require $400-$600 for overall play, and at the other end, a $100 table would necessitate $20,000 to $30,000 as your bankroll.

Overall Bankroll Chart - Extended Play 200-300 Times Minimum Bet Recommended Minimum Bet 200x 300x $2 $400 $600 $5 $1,000 $1,500 $25 $5,000 $7,500 $100 $20,000 $30,000

These numbers may sound very large to you and you would not want to lose all that money playing blackjack. We are not saying you are going to lose it all, it is just having a decent bankroll available so that you are not playing with scared money, that is, money you can not afford to lose without it tapping you out.

I can recall a number of times when I started playing blackjack in Vegas where I went down the drain for two days before the tide turned. If I didn't have my reserve, I would have been in Tap City and stopped playing. But I rode the crest of the bad tide and came back strong, winning each time.

We expect you to win as well, or if you lose, to lose a sensible amount without going overboard. But it is to know the reserves are there, just in case.