Bankroll: The total amount you have in poker sites plus that which you make available to play with.

Max SnG and MTT: The maximum tournament buy-in.

Cash table buy-in: The maximum amount taken to a cash table in one go.

NL/PL and FL BB: The amount of the big blind in a no limit/pot limit or fixed limit Hold'em game. In games with less betting rounds you can think to chose a higher level; conversely in a game with more betting rounds you may think to play at lower stakes.

Bankroll management and buy-in ratio

It is your poker skills that have built your current poker bankroll; the key to maintaining it and making it work best for you, is to assess the level you can comfortably play at.

The above comprehensive table may help you. It is not definitive and will be open to your personal interpretation, your attitude to risk and funding.

For instance; if you have a $50 poker bankroll and want to play a $3.30 multi table tourney, the table suggests it is beyond your bankroll. However, you may take the view that you set aside say $50 per month from your income as your poker money, and being a renewable source you are confident to play above what is considered a brave level.

You will also have to decide what counts as a Sit and Go tournament (SnG) or Multi table Tournament (MTT). Some MTT’s on a small poker site will have fewer players than a SnG on a large poker site (many sites host multi table SnG’s).

While it is true that at the higher buy-in levels your losses and wins will be greater in Dollar terms, the percentages will remain the same. This has a direct impact on your max loss and max profit.

If your attitude to risk suggests you play poker at the chicken level, that is fine too. However if you frequently play below your chicken level, it may be more beneficial to cash out your excess funds and invest in a fine bottle of wine.

I have been asked; "how does this all change when multi tabling?"

Being slightly evasive... I don't recommend multi table play.

If pressed, I'd say if you do multi table (2-3 tables at the same time), then tend toward the lower end of your comfort zone for each buy-in amount.