Variance & Std Dev
 

Could someone give me the basics on reviewing one’s variance/std deviation statistics in order to improve your game?

Which (if any) are important to look at? Variance per session, per hand, per starting hand (eg AKo has a mean of .025 BB per hand with a std dev of .01) What do they tell you about your play?

Which of these stats (if any) can you get these stats directly from Poker Tracker?

Thanks.

SP

Re: Variance & Std Dev
 

The main reason to look at standard deviation is to figure bankroll requirements. Another use it to know how long you should put up with a downswing before deciding that you have to change your game. There's probably some subtle way to use it per starting hand, but nothing springs to mind.

Variance is not useful directly, only its square root, standard deviation. You could figure it per hand, but it's more commonly stated per 100 hands or per hour.