Calculating an accurate goal for Hourly Expectation

[lil feller]

Hi there,

I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this post, or if this topic has been discussed in another thread that I couldn't find but here goes. I play mostly in brick and mortar card room in what I would define as good games. My question is this. How does one go about calculating a fair goal for a long term hourly rate, assuming the games you play in remain fairly consistent. I knows in Gambling for a Living there is a chart that breaks down what a good, great or world class player should expect to make at various limits, but how could a player like myself derive a fair goal based on the kind of game they play in. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

lil feller

[Richie Rich]

In general, the good limit player should average about 1-2BB/hr over the long run. Of course, he may earn 20BBs in one hour, and lose 25BBs in another, but it all averages out to +1-2BB/hr. If you're trying to figure your "avg. hourly rate" after only a handful of live poker sessions, then don't...you're only wasting your time.

No limit is another game altogther.

[lil feller]

I've been playing for several years, and have accurate results and I know what my hourly rate is. The question was how do you assess what a fair hourly rate should be. The 1-2 BB per hour sounds good, and is assumed by all of us to be close to accurate, but how is that calculated. Obviously if you play in better games that number goes up, and other factors like the house collection impact the rate as well. Does anybody out there have a real answer to the question at hand, or am I doomed to accept the assumption just because I'm supposed to.

lil feller

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I have a feeling these numbers come from observation and aren't just something Sklansky or Brunson or anybody else pulled from his ass. I don't see how there could be a purely theoretical formula that this would be calculated from.

[Rooster71]

Yes, you are doomed to accept the assumption just because you're supposed to.

[tubbyspencer]

What's a decent bb/hour in NL games? Obviously its way higher - but I've never heard what the good/great/expert ranges malmuth talks about regarding limit are - when changed to no limit.

[Eclypse]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been playing for several years, and have accurate results and I know what my hourly rate is. The question was how do you assess what a fair hourly rate should be. The 1-2 BB per hour sounds good, and is assumed by all of us to be close to accurate, but how is that calculated. Obviously if you play in better games that number goes up, and other factors like the house collection impact the rate as well. Does anybody out there have a real answer to the question at hand, or am I doomed to accept the assumption just because I'm supposed to.

lil feller

[/ QUOTE ]

Since you say you have been playing for years and have kept accurate records and know your hourly rate, I would simply suggest your goal should be to increase your hourly rate. Don’t shoot for any particular hourly rate, but work to improve your own personal rate, and continue to do this forever.

I don’t believe anyone is going to come up with a formula that definitively calculates what one should be making per hour in a poker game. Perhaps a better question would be to ask what others are making per hour in a given game, say, a brick-n-mortar 2-4 hold’em. That way, after enough people respond, you could get an idea of the average take in a game that size. Then you could compare what you’re making and see where you stand (of course, games are going to be consistently different across the country, so it is still only going to be a rough estimate).

[Flerdog]

I agree with Eclypse. It may help you determine a lot by finding out what others hourly rate is. The problem with that you may have problems with people not being totally honest.

I play 10-20 and average $22 per hour.