How much to buy in at a NL table?

Hi all.
I'm really sorry if this has been asked a thousand times but I tried searching and couldn't find a thread about it. I've read a few threads about bankroll management but I can't see anything that tells me how much I should join a table with.

I'm new to online poker. I've played for a few years in a fair few home games and I seem to beat my friends consistently. I've decided to try my skills out online. After playing on the play money tables a bit I decided to start small on pokerstars. Rather than chucking $100 on there and sitting at the .25/.50 tables I put on $20 and I've started at the .01/.02 tables. I've decided to work my way up to the real dollars (play the 1c/2c tables until I've got enough to play the 2c/5c etc). That way, I get to make sure I'm ready for the bigger money before I jump in.

So anyway, to my question: How much should I buy in at a NL table? I'm looking for a figure of x times the big blind that I can use as I (hopefully) progess up the tables.

The reason I ask this is I was sitting at the .01/.02 table and I bought in with $3.00 (the recommended amount) and ended up losing it in an all in. I flopped the ace-high flush and tried to slow bet the remaining player who jumped all-in. I called, he had pockets and ended up with a full house on the river.

$3 isn't a big loss, I'm not concerned about that. But I'm wondering whether I did the right thing by buying in by so much more than the bet amounts? And it's something I should learn now rather than on the .25/.50 tables etc.

So again, when you join a no limit table, how much do you buy in with?

Thanks in advance.

100 times the bigblind is standard

mbiz speaks the truth. Anything up to 200bb isnt unusual, but if youre just learning I would stick with 100bb for now. The thing that jumped out at me though was your slowplaying. At the very low limits people do it all the time, but its usually incorrect. You should almost always be betting your hand, because if people have anything (or sometimes even nothing) they will call.

go here and read all the posts
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...re-t36037.html
and also read this blog from another beginner for some tips on what to do and what not to do whilst you are learning.
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ob-t89789.html

and before you open accounts on any other site check out whether rakeback is available.

Welcome to FTR. The standard Buy-In is 100BB. For 2NL, the level you are playing, it would be $2. GL.

Thanks everyone. I was slow playing because in a previous hand I had put a 20c bet on and everyone folded. I thought slowplaying would allow me to get more out of the pot. I guess it backfired. :P

I'll read through those posts and pick up all the tips that I can.

100 bb as a minimum but I adjust it upward in order to cover one or more larger stacks at the table.

At 2NL it's not difficult to find a table with no stacks larger than $3. Then I would be in for 3. If there are a couple of players sitting on stacks larger than $5 (the max buy-in) then I would proceed with caution as they are either good or lucky!