Terminology: Break Even

[Runn233]

What does it mean to break even? I have read this term in many poker books yet none of them say what it means.

[pzhon]

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What does it mean to break even? I have read this term in many poker books yet none of them say what it means.

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It means you neither win nor lose. If you expect to break even, you expect to end up with as many chips as you had at the start.

A break even player could still earn money by playing poker. Either by getting rakeback from an affiliate, or through bonuswhoring.

Many books use it when speaking about the long-term results of a poker player...if you break even, it means in the long run, you don't profit when you play, but you don't lose money either.

[AaronBrown]

The term is borrowed from cost accounting. A "break" is a solution (as in "a break in the case" or "a lucky break"). The break even is the solution that makes the profit zero. For example, if you spend $10 to set up and stock a lemonade stand, and sell your lemonade for $0.50 a cup, your breakeven sales quantity is 20 cups.

A breakeven Poker player has zero expected profit. That could be computed before or after rakes, expenses, taxes and so forth.

[tomdemaine]

There are two types of poker player those that are up and those that are 'about even' [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[UATrewqaz]

I would say break even means to have a win rate of 0 (after the rake). Basically you don't play well enough to win but well enough that the mistakes of others keep you about the same.

It's very difficult to be a treu break even player. YOu either "get poker" or you "don't" and if you don't you have a negative expectation.

The exception would be if there is a game where EVERYONE is really good. Everyone would pretty much break even due to the fact nobody was making mistakes (the rake might even make everyone a loser).

In all honesty... "break-even" is a term that loosing players use to convince their friends and spouses that they are not in fact loosers.