Pounds -vs- Dollars (Analysis of the .5/1 NL Crypto Games)

[SwordFish]

I was going to wait until I had 20K hands at each level to make this post, but there seems to be a lot of debate about this subject lately.

Disclaimer: I am posting these PokerTracker stats to help draw a conclusion. It's not about having a pissing contest or seeing "whose is bigger".

The Question: Is it more or less profitable to play at the Crypto Pound(GBP) tables ?

Numbers: All of the data comes from the .5/1 Blind (100BB Max Buy-in) No Limit Games. I play these tables during European prime time (which is the afternoon/early evening EST).


Dollars: <ul type="square"> Hands: 17,112

Amount Won: $3796 ($.22 per hand)

BB/Hr: 4.62

(Note: In PokerTracker NL stats, BB refers to Big Bet which is equal to double the Big Blind)

BB/100: 11.09

Total Rake: $1357 ($.08 per hand)[/list]
Pounds:

<ul type="square"> Hands: 19,256

Amount Won: $8087 ($.42 per hand)

BB/Hr: 4.93

BB/100: 11.62

Total Rake: $2606 ($.135 per hand)[/list]

The first thing that jumps out at me is the remarkable similarity in win rate between the two levels. This indicates that contrary to what most people believe, when played during the same time of day, the skill level of players seems to be comparable.

So why pay more rake at the GBP tables?

When looking at raw numbers, I won more playing at the GBP tables, but I also paid more rake.

Breaking this down further, I paid 69% (.135/.08) more rake per hand on the GBP tables. However, I won 91% (.42/.22) more money per hand.

The argument can be made that moving to a higher level at a Dollar table would accomplish the same thing while paying less rake. The problem with this theory is that the skill level of the other players increases at each level. While still profitable, win rate decreases. In addition, there is not much game selection at the higher levels on Crypto sites.



Conclusion: Even though I am paying more rake at the GBP tables, they are clearly more profitable.

If you decide to play at the GBP tables, just keep in mind that you are playing nearly double the stakes and you need to have the appropriate bankroll. Then, keep an eye on your win rate and be sure you are beating the rake by enough to make it worthwhile.


If anyone has a reasonable sample size for Limit, I would be curious to see if the results are the same.


SF