Your strategy for $25-$40/hr playing poker???

[droolie]

I play part-time in the evenings. I whore everywhere and have RB at the dying skins. I have a goal of >$400 a week average and would not like to play more than 15 hours. I guess that means I'd like to clear $25-$40 and hour. I'm sure many of you clear much more than this but I'm wondering how you do it.

What's the lowest limit I could reasonably play with incentives?. I've been playing seriously for about 15 months and study my brains out. I dislike 6-max but beat party 1/2 over 15K for a small WR which is as high as I went in 6-max. I'm confident I'm a winning player at 2/4 through 3/6 full-ring.

I've had many weeks where I've cleared more than $400 and over the last 3 months have probably averaged more than that when I put in the hours. I guess I'm just looking for alternatives to my current strategy.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[toss]

Play more tables or move up. Thats all really unless you don't mind hopping from bonus to bonus.

[crunchy1]

How many tables are you playing?

[Pog0]

$25/hour is possible 8-tabling as low as 1/2 with incentives, although if you can crush that game, might as well play higher, the 2/4 games aren't much harder.

[ QUOTE ]
What's the lowest limit I could reasonably play with incentives?.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this just a curious question, or do you have a reason to play as low a game as you can get away with?

[krimson]

4-table 3/6 with a winrate of 2bb/100 plus 0.5bb/100 of rakeback.

I've been playing all 6m recently, so please correct me if this is wrong.

200(?) hands/hr x 2.5bb/100 x $6 = $30/hr

[flair1239]

I need a certain amount of money each month from poker as well.

What I did was take the lowest BB/100 that I thought I would run at over a significant period of time and figure out how long I would have to play. I did not include Rakeback or bonuses in the equation.

For me at 5/10 full, I picked 1BB/100. So for me to achieve my financial goals and my bankroll growth goals, I figured I would have to play 24,000 hands a month minimum.

Figuring about 250 hands an hour(four tabling), I decided my goals for weekly hours should be 24. I then decided how to play those hours and made a schedule. This schedule is not rigid and I change it depending on what obligations (Work, Daughter, girlfiend etc.) However I do use it as a strong guideline.

The only thing I care about is getting in my hours and hands 24 hours/6000 hands. Usually I run over on my hands, I bank this overage to use for free days off. This has helped me care less about my results. If I am stuck $500 for the week I do not play more to make it up. Also I am pretty good about just playing my time, this has eliminated a major leak of mine of playing long sessions when I have been losing. If I am down 20BB when my 3 hours is up... that is the way it will be. But if I am having fun (ie winning and have good tables open) I may go an extra 30-45min. But the games have to be really good to justify this.

This is what works for me. It is not results oriented and it keeps me focused.

[SeaEagle]

You don't say what limit you play at, nor the number of tables you normally play. Without that info, it's hard to answer your question.

Having said that, if my goal was to make $25-40/hr (and not more than that), I'd teach myself to 8-table at Party 2/4, when 2BB/100 would come out to about $40/hr.

If you're only willing/able to 4-table or less, then you're going to have to play 5/10 or at least 3/6 but, unless you're already comfortable with these levels, it's probably easier to add more tables at a lower limit than to develop the skills needed to beat a higher limit.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
I dislike 6-max but beat party 1/2 over 15K for a small WR which is as high as I went in 6-max. I'm confident I'm a winning player at 2/4 through 3/6 full-ring.

[/ QUOTE ]

A small winner at 1/2 6-max is probably not a winner at 2/4 and 3/6.

[droolie]

I usually 4-table 2/4 to 3/6 full-ring though I have 8-tabled .50/1 in the past. (I know I'm better when I 4-table but could probably auto-pilot 8 table without much dropoff.) I can only 3 table 6-max though I occasionally 4 table with 2 full-ring tables and 2 6-max tables. Lately I've been trying to improve my game and concentrate more on reads and have been avoiding overloading with tables.

The reason why I asked for the lowest limit was for stress reduction purposes. Playing 10/20 and above will take some serious attitudidanl adjustments on my part concering the value of money.

sfer- How can you say that? I know I'm not that great of a player but we all know it's quite easy to have massive variance at 6-max regardless of the limit over an extended period of time. As far as my 6-max winrate is concerned the sample size was around 20K and I spent the last 10K digging myself out of a pretty big whole I dug for the first 10K where I played terribly and had ridiculously horrific luck to boot. I spent most of the last 10K playing with a few of my 2+2 buddies (winning 6-max players) sweating my play while IMing just to be sure I wasn't playing like a complete moron. This process gave me a great deal of confidence and dramatically improved my six max play and in turn my full-ring game.

Despite the strides I made I know I could certainly use improvement in my 6-max game and I try to play at least once a week to keep learning and improving.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
sfer- How can you say that? I know I'm not that great of a player but we all know it's quite easy to have massive variance at 6-max regardless of the limit over an extended period of time. As far as my 6-max winrate is concerned the sample size was around 20K and I spent the last 10K digging myself out of a pretty big whole I dug for the first 10K where I played terribly and had ridiculously horrific luck to boot. I spent most of the last 10K playing with a few of my 2+2 buddies (winning 6-max players) sweating my play while IMing just to be sure I wasn't playing like a complete moron. This process gave me a great deal of confidence and dramatically improved my six max play and in turn my full-ring game.

Despite the strides I made I know I could certainly use improvement in my 6-max game and I try to play at least once a week to keep learning and improving.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not saying whether you were a winner or a loser, just that someone who cannot beat a standard 1/2 short game online is, I believe, not a favorite in the standard 2/4 and 3/6 game online.

[toss]

Moving up to 10/20 'n stuff may be scary, but think of the rewards. What if you stayed at Party .5/1 instead of moving up?

Get good at poker. Play $20/40.

[ QUOTE ]
Get good at poker. Play $20/40.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow. How insightful. Malmuth might have a book deal for you soon.

Regards,
Capt. Obvious

[Fnord]

Play fewer, better tables and learn to play poker. A run at 3/6 or higher 6 max would probably do wonders for your game. Then move up or add more tables again. I can do those kind of numbers quad tabling 2/4 and 3/6.

[Harv72b]

Full ring tables = ~70 hands/hour/table.

Given 15 hours/week, that would equal 1050 hands/week/table.

To reach your desired goal of $400/week with a WR of 2 BB/100, you would need:

2/4: 5000 hands
3/6: 3333 hands
5/10: 2000 hands

So, basically, you could do it by 5-tabling 2/4, 3-tabling 3/6 (with an extra few minutes/week), or 2-tabling 5/10.

EDIT: that obviously doesn't include rakeback or bonuses. I'm too tired to do that much math...I'm sure you can. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Entity]

Hey droolie,

Just curious. How much of your bankroll do you need to withdraw every month? What is your current bankroll, as well? Have you casino whored at all?

Rob

[LuckyDevil]

What is casino whoring? Is this different than bonus whoring? Thx.

[SNOWBALL138]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm confident I'm a winning player at 2/4 through 3/6 full-ring.


[/ QUOTE ]

Why are you confident? Beating 1/2 and beating 3/6 are very different propositions.

[droolie]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey droolie,

Just curious. How much of your bankroll do you need to withdraw every month? What is your current bankroll, as well? Have you casino whored at all?

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]


I really need to average $400 a week but if I came up a little short of that we'd survive. $200- $300 is the minimum though. I also buy and sell crap on ebay for other income which takes some of the pressure off. If poker and ebay can't keep us alfoat it might be time to bust out the resume and get a 2nd job. I've been fine so far but whoring and the death of the skins has me nervous my current strategy won't work well enough in the future.

I'm not greedy but would love to average $2K a month so I could actually save for vacations and what not. My family needs have been pounding the crap out of my BR all summer and into the fall. For those of you who don't know me I work full-time in a low paying Human Services job. I know many of you guys are thinking "get a better job loser" but that's not really realstic for me right now. I have two kids in day care and a mortgage to pay off. Times are certainly tough as day care is now $360 a week.

I currently have $2800 but have had to W/D about $9K since 4/1/05 with a $2K W/D coming about 2 weeks ago. I've had a very hard time explaining bankroll management to my wife who pays our bills and fighting to keep the $2K bare bones minimum has been a struggle.

I got turned off from Casino whoring after the Integrity BS situation and never went back.

[Adam22]

the concept of you at least making 200-300 a week or whatever is absurd. even as a good player, which you haven't really indicated that you are, you might lose 300 one week and make 2000 the next ( i can't remember what limits you are at but you know what i mean ).

the only good advice here is to not rely on poker for income until you are a very good player, comfortable at playing at a higher limit.

[droolie]

[ QUOTE ]
the concept of you at least making 200-300 a week or whatever is absurd. even as a good player, which you haven't really indicated that you are, you might lose 300 one week and make 2000 the next ( i can't remember what limits you are at but you know what i mean ).

the only good advice here is to not rely on poker for income until you are a very good player, comfortable at playing at a higher limit.

[/ QUOTE ]

I want to AVERAGE $400/week or $2K /month. Not make $400 every week. That is not absurd. I understand variance and my kids won't starve if I have a couple months of breakeven play. That being said poker has been a part-time 2nd job for me for almost a year now. I've probably logged over 150,000 hands by now and I'm quite confident in my ability to play limit poker and to recognize a good table regardless of limit. As I said I'm not the best player in the world but I more than hold my own and my understanding of limit hold'em concepts is advanced.

I'm glad you guys are concerned about my skill level but suffice to say I am not. I will not put myself in a game I do not feel I have a + expectation in and I am notoriously nitty when it comes to moving up in limits. As far as my future prospects for moving up limits I certainly expect to make gradual leaps as I continue to work on my game and grow as a player. I hope all of you do as well. Currently I fluctuate between 2/4 and 3/6, with occasional brief forays into 5/10 and 10/20 when I see exceptionally good tables. I have a sginificant sample size at the 2/4 game and have played with enough 2+2 players enough times and discussed those sessions at enough length that I have very little concern about my ability to beat my current limits.

That being said my skill level and what I should do is not what this thread was intended to discuss. What I really was hoping for was opinions on how to best make a reliable earn over the long haul of $25-$40 with the minimum of risk. If your opinion is to become world class and play 100/200 so be it. If it is to 12 table micros while whoring your brains out that's fine too. My current skill level and limits are irrelevant to how you all make your hourly earn.

[flair1239]

Droolie,

If you have not already I would go to Absolute and Hollywood Poker. You can get a good deal through an affiliate. Also the bonuses are very good.

I don't want to do the math, but I have to imagine between those two sites, you could fill a few table and whore bonuses until you want to throw up.

If you check RakeBack review, you should be able to hook up quickly. If you have trouble give me a PM. I am in a simaliar situation at a higher limit.

[BigBrother]

Sounds like you are risk-averse with a small BR. Stick to the 2/4 and gradually increase your number of tables if you can. You can make your target earn rate at 6-8 tables of 2/4.

Plus it's easier to find good 2/4 tables most hours of the day but more difficult as you move up.

It would certainly be easier to make that earn at a higher limit but those 100BB+ downswings can be a real killer.

[MrEngenic]

Build up your BR a little bit by casinowhoring. 2k $ is a piece of cake in 30h with very low risk bets.

Play shorthanded 1/2 or 2/4 on absolute with rakeback. Because of rakeback and bonus you will have a very stable income. When your bankroll is high enough, play 2/4 on party.