Cash Game Poker: How Many Big Blinds should you start with

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Deciding your big blinds is one of the first strategic decisions in casino poker and other cash games. It not only defines the stakes for the games but also encourages intense action. Even as poker continues to evolve in 2025, your stack size still plays an important role in shaping your entire strategy. As such, understanding the relevance and dynamics of big blinds, whether you are playing poker at the tables or online, is crucial. 

Cash Game Poker: How Many Big Blind Should You Start With?

So just how many big blinds should you have going into a poker game? Depends on a couple of things. Recall that big blinds are the stipulated bet players use as a buy-in, which rotates around the table and defines the stake. To illustrate, in a $2/$4 game, the big blind is $4. If you’re playing in poker rooms, you should know that most of them have minimum and maximum buy-ins, which range from 50BB to 200BB. 

Reverting to the big question, the decision of how many BBs to buy in with should depend on your skill level, the table dynamics and playing style. If you’re relatively new to cash poker, you’d want to limit your stack size to limit your risk. On the flip side, if you’re somewhat experienced, a deeper BB could maximize potential value. 

Fun Fact: The World Series of Poker has no stack limit in cash games. As such you can buy in for any amount in live WSOP cash games.

Cash game entry fees in the form of big blinds

Phil Hellmuth, WSOP Bracelet Leader – “You don’t need a mountain of chips to win — you just need enough to put fear in your opponent.”

In typical poker games like the no-limit hold ’em with $1/$2, the minimum entry fee might be 50 BB ($100),, and the maximum could be 200 BB ($400). Traditional casinos would take a small rake from each hand, affecting the game’s long-term profitability. However, many modern online casinos are quite different from this approach. 

Looking through several trusted gambling sites from CasinoCanada, you can find casinos that take minimal to no rakes on poker variants. Some online casinos even offer micro stakes in poker with BBs going as low as $0.01/$0.02, giving you the latitude to experiment. Note that your entry fee is not different from your chips, it forms your entire playable stack. 

Does the amount of buy-in affect your strategy in cash game poker?

As previously hinted, the size of your stack fundamentally affects your poker strategy. It guides or influences your pre-flop selections, your aggression post-flop, your bluffing potential and down to the implied odds. If you are balling with a pretty short stack, it limits your ability to manoeuvre. Deeper stacks, on the other hand, give room for advanced plays. 

For illustration, while a short-stacked player would be forced into an all-in or fold strategy with 30BB, the deep-stacked player can make layered bets with 150BB or so. 

Short stack cash game strategy (50 or fewer big blinds)

Short stacking is essentially where players choose to buy in for the minimum or reduced amount, usually between 20 to 50 BBs. The approach is typically associated with conservative players or if you’re looking to reduce variance. 

Why do players enter cash games with a short stack size?

From an expert standpoint, there are some pretty solid reasons to go in with a short stack. Below are the most important ones; 

• Simplified decision making
• Bankroll management
• Minimised risk 
• Hitting then running

What are the advantages of short stacking?

It may seem ironic but there are still some pretty solid advantages to playing with a short stack these include; 

• Less exposure to post-flop plays 
• Pressure leverage
• Short hands that exploit deep stacks easier

Overall, even with these circumstantial benefits, the shortcomings of short stacking usually weigh heavier, especially with stringent table rules. 

Deep stack cash game strategy (150 or more big blinds)

On the other spectrum, deep stacking requires a more nuanced gaming approach. A typical deep stack ranges from 150+ BBs which creates latitude for more creative plays. And with the right posture, you could always exact bluffs here and there but you are sure to extract maximum value from strong hands. 

As a more experienced player, you’d have to understand the position, bet sizing and opposition tendencies to go all in on a deep stack. It enables you to call with a speculative hand more often knowing if you hit, the pot could be large. 

Why is buying 100 big blinds the best scenario?

Phil Galfond, Poker Pro – “With at least 100 big blinds, you’re giving yourself the chance to apply pressure and use all your tools. Shorter stacks limit your options.”

In principle, buying in for 100 big blinds is the sweet spot regarding today’s casinos and poker variants. This number offers you a near-perfect mix of control and flexibility with enough chips to defend your blinds and extract value from strong hands. In all, 100 BB is the best-studied and most predictable structure. 

Fun Fact: The 100 BB standard is not random, it became popular because it is the default setting in most poker software and solvers.

Conclusion

Overall, understanding your stack size in cash games is a strategic cornerstone to be frank. Your big blinds could shape every move you make, whether you are short stacking or going in deep. Remember, buying in for 100 big blinds strikes the ideal balance, bringing the necessary leverage while mitigating risk.

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