Buy In

What is a ‘Buy In’?

A buy in is the amount of money it costs to play a game such as poker. Everyone involved on the table or in the tournament has to pay the required buy in before they are allowed to play.

‘Buy In’ Explained

Whether in a casino or on an online poker console, to play in a tournament, you need to pay a buy in. This buy in makes up the prize pool for the tournament, so the higher the buy in, the bigger the prize pool.To attract players of all kinds, the size of the buy in will vary from tournament to tournament. Most poker sites will offer minute buy in sizes to get the newer players interested while the experienced big gambling players will be catered for with much larger buy in events. These tend to have fewer runners.Usually a buy in will include a fee which goes to the casino or the poker site directly. This is known as a rake and is given to the casino or site for them to host the tournament. This figure is often 10% of the original buy in, so if the tournament costs $100 to enter then the rake will be $10. This must be paid before you are able to compete in the competition.If you are a punter who likes to play cash games in poker, there is often a minimum amount you can take to the table. While this is not strictly a buy in, it works in the same way. Often the minimum amount you need to have to be able to sit at the table is a certain number of big blinds. This is to ensure an element of normality regarding the play.