To give some more numbers to help with achievable hourlies (including rakeback per hour). As a rough ballpark for hands / hour at 6-max normal speed (not fast tables)
From a very unscientific observation
NLHE will deal approx 75 hands / hour
LHE will deal approx 100 hands / hour
PLO will deal approx 55 hands / hour
The VPP / hand numbers used later in the post were sourced from fpppro.com and are based on 6-max.
So an average winning player produces the following $ / table / hour + rakeback. Rates in parentheses are (bronze|silver|gold|platinum|supernova).
NLHE (ptbb / 100)
=================
NL2: $0.14 + 2.5 VPP ($0.03 | $0.04 | $0.06 | $0.08 | $0.14)
NL5: $0.20 + 4.6 VPP ($0.05 | $0.08 | $0.11 | $0.15 | $0.26)
NL10: $0.37 + 7.6 VPP ($0.08 | $0.13 | $0.18 | $0.25 | $0.42)
NL25: $0.75 + 9.5 VPP ($0.10 | $0.16 | $0.23 | $0.31 | $0.53)
NL50: $1.76 + 17.0 VPP ($0.19 | $0.29 | $0.41 | $0.56 | $0.95)
NL100: $2.90 + 27.3 VPP ($0.30 | $0.46 | $0.66 | $0.90 | $1.53)
LHE (BB / 100)
=================
0.02/0.04: $0.07 + ? VPP
0.05/0.10: $0.23 + ? VPP
0.10/0.20: $0.29 + ? VPP
0.25/0.50: $0.74 + ? VPP
0.50/1: $0.86 + 19.8 VPP ($0.22 | $0.34 | $0.48 | $0.65 | $1.11)
1/2: $1.48 + 33.2 VPP ($0.37 | $0.56 | $0.80 | $1.10 | $1.86)
2/4: $3.43 + 51.3 VPP ($0.56 | $0.87 | $1.23 | $1.69 | $2.87)
3/6: $4.39 + 81.6 VPP ($0.90 | $1.39 | $1.96 | $2.69 | $4.57)
PLO (ptbb / 100)
=================
PLO10: $0.32 + 9.2 VPP ($0.10 | $0.16 | $0.22 | $0.30 | $0.51)
PLO25: $0.76 + 13.8 VPP ($0.15 | 0.23 | $0.33 | $0.45 | $0.77)
PLO50: $2.63 + 24.0 VPP ($0.26 | $0.41 | $0.58 | $0.79 | $1.34)
PLO100: $4.61 + 37.6 VPP ($0.41 | $0.64 | $0.90 | $1.24 | $2.10)
For calculations you can use the following conversion rates. I have used the cash bonus rate at that level to work out $/VPP:
Bronze: 1FPP/VPP, $0.010/FPP, 1.1c/VPP
Silver: 1.5 FPP/VPP, $0.011/FPP, 1.7c/VPP
Gold: 2.0 FPP/VPP, $0.012/FPP, 2.4c/VPP
Platinum: 2.5 FPP/VPP, $0.013/FPP, 3.3c/VPP
SuperNova: 3.5 FPP/VPP, $0.016/FPP, 5.6c/VPP
What do I draw from this?
1) At the micros there is little difference between PLO and NLHE on a per table basis. At small stakes PLO appears to start gaining considerable ground in terms of $/table/hour. Note this does not take into account how many tables can be played simultaneously, it is only a per table number.
2) LHE on a per table basis performs surprisingly well even with the poor winrate, especially when rakeback is taken into consideration. Due to the lower edge over the field one must be prepared for extended downswongs compared to NLHE. They are not as severe in intensity as PLO however it is quite possible they last for longer. These downswongs are compensated in part by the very solid rakeback received so as long as you are rolled and are actually a winning player (this part is the key) you can survive.
3) Not in these tables but game selection appears to become a real issue once you pass NL1000, 10/20 LHE and PLO400. After this point you will find lots of regulars and not many tables. This is hardly a problem for anybody in the beginners forum though.
4) Rakeback adds a much larger amount to the bottom line of a winning player than I first thought. Much much larger. If you can add just a single extra table or play for a couple of hours more a month to hit the next VIP level on stars then it is definitely worth the effort.
I am really interested to compare results if anybody is willing to hunt down how winning SnG and MTT players perform.
Quote:
Can't figure out your random guestimates :|
I never claimed it to be a scientific study. However I did outline how the results were produced so they are hardly "random guestimates" that I pulled out of my arse because I liked the sound of them. I take it you don't like the numbers, perhaps you can add to the discussion with outlining how the results can be improved? Or better yet provide a better sample.
Quote:
If PLO is the most profitable game then why dont you hear of people moving from 2plo to 50plo+? Seems like people switch to PLO once they have already "made it" playing NL.
If PLO is less profitable than NLHE then why do people switch at all? It would make no sense for a profitable NL50+ player to switch to a much higher variance game with a lower hourly. Why are you taking issue with the numbers anyway? I went into this without expecting any outcome and without favouring any particular game, I was only interested in what the reality was instead of all the "friends of friends have told me that it is easy to make x playing y" or "I like playing z so therefore I will tell everyone it is the best game". If you can provide a better set of results demonstrating a different outcome I would be more than happy to see them as this was produced mainly for my own information to decide what game to get back into after a break from poker. I posted it here as I often see questions of "what is the most profitable game?" and the answers always give opinions without any quantitative support.