Bankroll
The total amount of money you have allocated for a gambling session or period — distinct from your total finances and never more than you can afford to lose.
Bankroll is the foundational concept in responsible crash game play. It is the buffer between session variance and financial damage. Managing it correctly doesn’t change the house edge — but it determines how long you play, how much variance you can absorb, and whether a losing session remains a controlled loss.
The 100-unit rule
The most common starting point: bring at least 100 units to a session, where one unit equals your base bet.
- If you play at
$1per round → bring$100 - If you play at
$5per round → bring$500 - If you play at
$0.50per round → bring$50
With 100 units and a ~50% bust rate (at 2x target), you can absorb a long losing streak without busting out entirely. At 50 units, a bad streak can wipe you out quickly.
Bet sizing as a percentage
Conservative players risk 0.5–1% of session bankroll per round.
Standard players risk 1–2%.
Above 5% per round is high-risk and will produce rapid bankroll swings.
Session bankroll: $200
Conservative bet: $1–$2 (0.5–1%)
Standard bet: $2–$4 (1–2%)
High-risk bet: $10+ (5%+)The loss limit
Before the session starts, decide: I will stop if I lose X% of my bankroll. Common limits are 20–30%. If you bring $100 and lose $25, you stop.
This prevents the trap of “just one more round to recover” — which is how session losses become significant losses.
Winnings are not bankroll
A common mistake: treating winnings as extra bankroll and extending sessions. Winnings are real money. A session win target (stop when up 50% or 100%) prevents giving back gains through extended play.