Making a living in live 3/6 games??

[surfinillini]

Why would you ever want to make a "living" at 3/6?

[d10]

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Why would you ever want to make a "living" at 3/6?

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I wouldn't, in fact as another poster has already mentioned, I would probably kill myself before I played $3/$6 for a living. I'm just saying it's possible.

I will make a stab at this. I live in Kansas City and play about 15 hours a week at the local card room. So far in my very brief poker career, I have averaged 13.36 p/hr between the 3/6 and 4/8 for over 300 hours. I know the sample is small, but I just started.

I agree with the posters previously, the only 'rounders' who are doing this fall into four catergories. 1. goverment scammers, who receive a monthly check. 2. Househusbands who wife is supporting them. 3. Fleas who live with mom/dad. 4. Students.

Could you live off just playing 3/6 to 4/8 maybe. But it would suck. Assuming I quit my job and decided I would want to try this lifestyle. Here is what I came up with.

I would live in downtown KC, with no car. But the city bus will take you to the casinos. So you could live without a car. My breakdown on expenses.

decent apt. DT KC $500
gas/electric $ 50
cable/phone $ 50
bus pass $ 50
food $100

You would have to earn at least $750 per month for basic living expenses.

If working 50 hours a week earning $10/hr, which I believe is possible. You could take home $500 per/week. If you were a semi-skilled player.

Very few people would choose this as a option, but I think it could work.


Mark in Kansas City

[derick]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but ...

Isn't the rake at low limit games like 3/6 too high to be beatable?

I don't know what the rake at the 3/6 game is...

Here we have 2/5 limit which rakes 10% to a max of $5.
This means almost all hands get raked $5
Which works out to $500/100 hands.
Which means the average person pays 10bb/100 hands.

How can you beat this rake?
And when you add the expected tip of $1 the rake + tip = 12bb/100

Is there anyone who can win at small stakes long term (30,000 hands)

[BoxTree]

[ QUOTE ]
Isn't the rake at low limit games like 3/6 too high to be beatable?

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If "beatable" means "wins at least $0.01 in the long run," then yes, 3/6 is beatable.

Just be wary of posters like lefty rosen who make remarks like, "You can easily beat a 3/6 live game for about 9 to 12 an hour."

As your math points out, it's nearly impossible to sustain a win rate greater than 1.5 bb/hr at a 3/6 game with a $5 rake.

Some more math:

At 3/6 full, a TAG should win about about 9% of hands in the long run. At a B&M casino with auto-shufflers, you should see about 35 hands/hr. So, you're winning 3 or 4 hands/hr.

If you win 3 hands/hr., you're paying $15 in rake fees. To earn $9/hr. profit, you need to make $24/hr. pre-rake.

$24/hr. --> $68/100 hands

So, you need to earn 11.3 bb/100 pre-rake to make $9/hr. at live 3/6.

[lighterjobs]

I think the biggest problem with grinding out a monthly nut in 3/6 - 5/10 live limit games is you have almost no chance in ever moving up in limits. You would be using all your money just to survive.

[UVaHoo]

What I don't understand is why someone who is playing 3/6 live for a living wouldn't play higher in limits. Live play is so ridiculously terrible that it seems like someone good enough to easily beat the 3/6 game for 3 bb/100 should easily be able to beat a 9/18 game at a place like Commerce.

That is the real question. When you realize that the average teacher, cop, fireman in NYC only makes around 60,000 (takes home about 550 - 600 a week) I think it is possible to make that playing at 4/8 to 6/12. 3/6 would be tough but not impossible. Most of us I think could clear a 125 a day if we played super tight and treated it like a job and not a game. Super tight and being able to walk away when you get 200 up in front of you...then coming back the next day and the next etc. We are not talking about a great life...but a living - I think it is possible

If for some bizarre reason I had to make a living playing low-limit games then my game of choice would be Omaha8. At least in hold em most players have a passing idea what constitutes a good hand and what you should call with, even if they don't really stick to it. With the lack of TV coverage of Omaha and lack of books, no-one has the first clue playing live.

but it would still suck....

[wonderwes]

I think it comes down to you as a player. For the question, 3/6 seems to low to be making a living off of. There are cardrooms all over the US, but only a few select areas where a decent amount of new players (tourists) come in and play, refilling the tables each day.

Cost of living can be decent in a small apt, but ownership of a car is a much higher daily expense.

I think the bigger point is its the same ordeal, if you were playing 3/6 to 5/10, to 10/20, if this is a full time job, then it will be a grind regardless. You will have to work hard, constantly play well, and maintain your profit margin.

Because we all know, variance is a bitch.