EV and time.

[PrayingMantis]

I play mainly SNGs (one-table-tournaments) and discuss them on the SNG forum. Many times this point of $/H is brought up there, and sometimes it makes you choose a rather diffrent way of action than otherwise.

One example: Let's say you play only one game at a time (multi-tabling makes it a bit more complex, but similar). Sometimes it will be correct for you to take marginally +EV decisions for all your stack, at rather early stages, if you're a strong big-stack player, because if you bust, this SNG was very short and you can start another one immidiately. So, if you compare the amount of time you play with the amount of another player (who does not take similar close +EV decisions for all his stack), you might find out that he's making more on each tourney (higher ROI=return on investment), but actually less in terms of $/H, because his usual tourney is longer than yours.

But there's another point, that might complicate it more. Player X might decide that he's playing 5 SNG's a night - he doesn't care EXACTLY how much time it will take him. This player better play to maximize EV on a tourney. Player Y might decide to play 2.5 hours every night, regardless if it's 7 fast SNGs, or 4 long (again - no 4 tabling and such, one at a time). It is obvious that these two players will have different approaches to EV, each from his own psychological point of view.

My point in the last paragraph, is that sometimes (and for some people) $/H is not the most important thing. In very big tournaments, for instance, $/H is clearly pretty much irrelevant. Any reasonable player will prefer to play a few more hours (or even days) for a greater chance at a sirious money prize. I don't imagine there's even one person at the WSOP who is thinking in terms of $/H, when at the end of it he can win such huge prizes.