Poker Advice

Hi Forum,

I am coming to you for advice. I've started playing poker about 5-10 hours a week for about 6 months. I kept a log of my buy-ins, my profit/loss, hours, played, and the stakes. I was wondering, at what sample size, should one consider whether you can be a profitable player or not? I know 160 hours in 6 months is not a lot, but I want to get everyone's opinion. I have a side hustle that brings me between $50-$100 an hour.

Stakes typically played 2/5, and 5/10
Hours played 160.25 hours (spread between last 6 months)
Profit/loss: + $11,555
avg hourly: +$72.11

Also, some additional questions:
1. Is it normal for me to be much more profitable in 5/10 than at lower stakes (the game seems easier)? Or, am I on a high variance and do not have enough hours to make this assessment?
2. How many hours should I play before considering this as
3. What should my total bankroll should be playing 2/5 vs 5/10

Hi Sigfried,

For those who don't know, we are to assume you are talking about No Limit.

160 hours is just enough to realize you need more data.

525 hours should be enough to realize if you have the potential to be a long term winning player.

1250 hours is when you can get a fairly good assessment of your hourly.

You really should be using a tool to calculate the standard deviations of your big blinds. Search for primedope poker tools. For the record, I haven't any affiliation with that website.

You can go from a winning poker player to a losing poker player for various reasons. Never stop keeping immaculate records.

Just out of curiosity, is your side gig gambling related?

For bankroll guidelines, search for bankroll bible. It depends on your winrate.

If 5/10 is the biggest game available in your casino or area, then it's not uncommon to have one or more whales consistently donating over time. If not, then yes, it's unusual for 5/10 to be softer than 2/5.

Being successful at poker normally requires study time outside of playing hours, so factor that into your comparison. I'm curious whether you're a beginning poker player. Have you only been playing for 6 months? Have you done any studying?

Quote: Notabotuplus22a

Hi Sigfried,

For those who don't know, we are to assume you are talking about No Limit.

160 hours is just enough to realize you need more data.

525 hours should be enough to realize if you have the potential to be a long term winning player.

1250 hours is when you can get a fairly good assessment of your hourly.

You really should be using a tool to calculate the standard deviations of your big blinds. Search for primedope poker tools. For the record, I haven't any affiliation with that website.

You can go from a winning poker player to a losing poker player for various reasons. Never stop keeping immaculate records.

Just out of curiosity, is your side gig gambling related?
link to original post

Thank you for taking the time to reply and provide some benchmark to aim. The side hustle has to do with drop shipping with a partner. I have hit a wall in terms of money goal and how tedious it is for me.

Quote: TaxrBux

For bankroll guidelines, search for bankroll bible. It depends on your winrate.

If 5/10 is the biggest game available in your casino or area, then it's not uncommon to have one or more whales consistently donating over time. If not, then yes, it's unusual for 5/10 to be softer than 2/5.

Being successful at poker normally requires study time outside of playing hours, so factor that into your comparison. I'm curious whether you're a beginning poker player. Have you only been playing for 6 months? Have you done any studying?
link to original post

I've been playing poker for 20 years mostly NL. I have always played it casually, and would be able to hold my own at casinos. Six months ago, I started taking it a bit more seriously. I don't know if it's considered studying, but I have been watching about 2 hours of poker related videos on Youtube nightly. These are mainly bloggers who give hand analysis. I guess I never thought about adding that as part of my hourly. I appreciate the feedback.

The 5/10 game has a lot more pros and regs than the 2/5. I want to be clear and state that I find 5/10 in the same wavelength as how I play. The 2/5 game at where I play has a lot of players with really wide ranges. They also tend to chase a lot which leads to more showdowns. For example, if I have a AK, I have to raise to $40 or $50 or else, players will chase with garbage connectors and catch cards. I have a hard time narrowing the range.

I thank you for replying.

Quote: SiegfriedRoy

Hi Forum,

I am coming to you for advice. I've started playing poker about 5-10 hours a week for about 6 months. I kept a log of my buy-ins, my profit/loss, hours, played, and the stakes. I was wondering, at what sample size, should one consider whether you can be a profitable player or not? I know 160 hours in 6 months is not a lot, but I want to get everyone's opinion. I have a side hustle that brings me between $50-$100 an hour.

Stakes typically played 2/5, and 5/10
Hours played 160.25 hours (spread between last 6 months)
Profit/loss: + $11,555
avg hourly: +$72.11

Also, some additional questions:
1. Is it normal for me to be much more profitable in 5/10 than at lower stakes (the game seems easier)? Or, am I on a high variance and do not have enough hours to make this assessment?
2. How many hours should I play before considering this as
3. What should my total bankroll should be playing 2/5 vs 5/10
link to original post

online poker or B&M?

Regarding poker vloggers, I consider their videos to be entertainment. Videos from Bart Hanson, Jonathan Little, and others that do deep dives on individual hands or concepts I consider as study time. I find the same phenomenon of splashy low stakes games having a smaller winrate and higher variance, except at the 1/3 vs. 2/5 level. Rake is also higher as a percentage of winrate at the lower stakes. If you're comfortable with your game and bankroll at the higher stake, there's no reason to force yourself to wait for spots at the lower stake game.

Quote: SiegfriedRoy

The 5/10 game has a lot more pros and regs than the 2/5. I want to be clear and state that I find 5/10 in the same wavelength as how I play. The 2/5 game at where I play has a lot of players with really wide ranges. They also tend to chase a lot which leads to more showdowns. For example, if I have a AK, I have to raise to $40 or $50 or else, players will chase with garbage connectors and catch cards. I have a hard time narrowing the range.

I thank you for replying.
link to original post

You don't want to be playing with pros and you want the players chasing you with garbage. Yes, it can be frustrating when you get beaten by inferior hands but you can't let this lead to over-betting posts.

In spots where they are chasing garbage, your job is to bet amounts where they call you, but they are not getting the proper odds to do so.