Short answer
The PokerDataOS bankroll tracker brings together your balance, your movements and your bankroll history, and reads them according to your format: MTT, cash and Spins each follow their own logic, and the cash bankroll is measured by stake, not by ABI.
What is a poker bankroll?
Your bankroll is the money you set aside only for poker, kept apart from your personal expenses. Managing it well means knowing how much you have, how it moves and whether the level you play matches that money. It is what lets you ride out downswings, which are unavoidable in poker, without being forced to stop or drop down in stakes.
What does the bankroll tracker record?
- Balance: how much your bankroll holds right now.
- Movements: every inflow and outflow you log, so the balance is traceable.
- History: how your bankroll evolves over time, so you see the trend and not just the latest number.
Why is the bankroll read differently for MTT, cash and Spins?
Each format has a different variance and a different unit of risk, so measuring all of them with the same yardstick gives misleading readings:
| Format | Reference unit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| MTT | Average buy-in (ABI) | The risk of each tournament is its buy-in, and variance is very high. |
| Spins | The format's own logic | Short tournaments with variable prize pools, unlike a classic MTT. |
| Cash | Stake | Cash games have no fixed tournament buy-in: your risk is defined by the stakes (blinds) you play. |
That is why PokerDataOS reads the cash bankroll by stake and not by ABI: an ABI makes no sense at a cash table, and using it would give a false picture of how much risk you are taking.
How do you keep a useful bankroll log?
- Keep poker money separate. Your bankroll only includes what you set aside to play.
- Log every movement. A balance with no movements cannot explain why it changed.
- Watch the history, not the day. One session says nothing; weeks of trend do.
- Measure in your format's unit. ABI for MTT, stake for cash, the format's own logic for Spins.
- Cross-check with your sessions. Match movements with your sessions and mental game to see whether drops line up with tilt or fatigue.
PokerDataOS is a tracking and study tool. It does not provide financial advice or recommend how much money to risk.
Frequently asked questions
Does PokerDataOS move money or connect to my poker room?
No. The bankroll tracker is a log: you record your movements and PokerDataOS calculates the balance and history.
Why is ABI not used for cash games?
Because cash games have no tournament buy-in. Risk depends on the stakes you play, so the cash bankroll is read by stake.
Can I track MTT, cash and Spins at the same time?
Yes. Each format is read with its own logic inside the same bankroll tracker.
Is my bankroll private?
Yes. Access requires authentication and data rules are per user. You can export your data from Settings.