[pzhon]

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You need to keep in mind that the maximum buy-in for NL2 on Stars is $5, i.e. I would suggest to deposit at least $100 to give you 10 full buy-ins.

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That would be 20 250 big blind buy-ins.

People keep repeating 20 buy-ins out of context. This is an example. It is much, much harder to lose 250 BB on an hand than to lose 100 BB. You do not have to buy in for 250 BB--despite the common misconception, buying in for less than the maximum does not put you at a disadvantage at all. NL with a $0.02 big blind does not require anywhere near as many buy-ins as a game where people play try to keep tehir money.

It is very hard to lose $10 at this level. If you are a winning player, and are so absurdly conservative that you feel you need to have $100 playing with a big blind of $0.02, then you should a few hundred buy-ins at NL $25, and perhaps a thousand buy-ins in a tough game. If those seem excessive, then so is having $100 to play NL with a $0.02 big blind.

Of course, if you aren't confident that you are a winning player, then having a budget (not a bankroll) of $100 may give you room to learn to win. If you are learning, it is a bad idea to buy in for 250 big blinds at a time. Buying in for 50 big blinds is more reasonable. If you hope to play for higher stakes, note that the maximum buy-in is usually 100 big blinds, so you may want to practice that.

If someone asks how to play top pair, you'd say it depends. You would not say push all-in, or check-fold. If someone asks how many buy-ins you need, you should say it depends. You should not say 20 buy-ins, even though that is occasionally correct, at levels that are not close to NL with a $0.02 big blind.