I believe you. As per oldschool, if you're playing only at peak hours + in an area that's relatively cashed up, 25BB/hr is not unusual. It's nothing like online where 4BB open raise kicks out every hand but premiums. Obviously the regulars are BS'ing, they're averaging $100/h for the sessions they win but forget about the downswings they experience.
Considering you have dependents, if I were you I'd just stick to 1/2.

Re: why you're one of the few at 1/2: You need to also realise that poker players are by and large a greedy bunch (which is not to pass judgement, merely that poker players are always looking for the most +EV). I cannot imagine that many poker players would be content to sit by and grind their way year after year at 1/2 making $50/hr if they think they can make double that at 2/5. If a poker player makes $50k after 1000 hours of 1/2, they are going to move up to 2/5, or more, even if their hourly rate is only slightly better, even if the swings are worse, etc because by that stage they know they're good enough to give it a shot for the big time. Just think of all the mid-stakes and high-stakes players, they didn't start off there.

Congrats on crushing live poker.

Thank you for the first reply that has not made me feel like I am the crazy one.

It sounds like I was actually doing ok at 2/5 and my real problem was underpricing the edge I pick up in 1/2 by playing with the drunk gambling crowd that gravitates to 1/2 far more than 2/5.

Funny thing is I think I subconsciously knew this without being aware of it. I never order food or drinks at the table for myself, so I always have tons of comp dollars even at $1/h. When I hit the right table, I use my comps to buy rounds of drinks for the table. They love me for the drinks and feel better about sending their gambling money home with such a nice guy.

Thanks for being the second one that says I am not the crazy one.

For me, this is income, not some shot at the big time. I am looking for the best wage with the least risk. Not moving up means I don't need to invest in growing my bankroll. I am making 75k/year that the IRS has never heard of, from a 6k bankroll that I have never been half way into.

This thread has opened my eyes to just how good that really is.

Who knew that what I was seeing as below average was so good that the majority of replies had no problem saying I was full of it?

I think this is the fishiest thing you've said so far, and there's been a lot ITT.

You have found the juiciest 1/2 game in the entire world. Keep it a secret and keep on doing whatever it is you're doing.

I never thought you were crazy. I was just skeptical because I do see a lot of newer posters state their win rates which are clearly often false or exaggerated. I was also wondering if you were pulling our leg.

If your games are the way you describe then I would expect a very good player to have a much higher winrate in your games. You should also realize and appreciate the fact that you have an incredibly good thing going. I'd love to make $49 an hour at 1-2 NL. I don't think that's even possible in the games I play in. In many of the 1-3 games I play in, if I throw in a big raise pf I'll often be heads up after the flop, and I frequently take it down on the flop with a bet. Players are loose for small bets, and even though they pay off too much, they will play much tighter once the bets get to be around $25 or more.

I play in 1-2 NL games which are looser then that, but even those games have a lot of limping, checking, and small bet sizing. Pf raises tend to be around $6-$12.

If someone did make $46 an hour I wouldn't be surprised if he thought he should win more. I see people make similar statements all the time, even about the small limit games which are sometimes not even beatable.

As for the other stuff, yeah I never was totally convinced.

Wow! Now I am a troll. I have been here without posting for over a year and finally sought advice on moving to 2/5.

I had no intentions of even discussing what my hourly rate was in starting this thread and only did so when asked, with the indication that it would help answer my question.

I share my rates, which seemed low to me, based on what the other regulars tell me, but never show actual data.

First, I am lying, then I am crazy, then it makes sense considering certain factors, then I am a troll.

Then, not telling the IRS about cash from a poker room is the worst part?

Do you guys report what you take off the table? Does anyone?

You don't want to believe me? Awesome! Your really not contributing to my thought process of trying to work some 2/5 back in or just staying at 1/2, which is all I was ever asking for.

I shared what my records said, humbly and free of expectation that it would be taken as anything other than information requested to help answer if I should be working some 2/5 back in.

If you are making less, then I must be a lying troll? If that does not speak volumes.

If I were crafting fiction, why would I fabricate a situation where I am beating the 1/2 but doing far worse, in terms of bb/h at 2/5?

Why would I start a thread looking for advice on choosing a game and then fabricate figures when they are requested, thus pretty much guaranteeing that I get no useful advice on my original question?

Hmm. With how little sense that makes, did I just get trolled and take the bait?

People get attacked and criticized on the Internet all the time. Don't let it get to you. If you're not a troll it will become more obvious over time, unless you leave the forum after you're done with this thread. If the latter is true, then who cares what some random critics think?

I couldn't tell if you were serious or not, and although I was curious, it's really not a big deal to me. I said I wasn't convinced but I wasn't convinced that you were a troll either. I don't spend a lot of time wondering about that stuff.

The stuff about the IRS though is something I've seen trolls say before on these forums because people will criticize comments like that.

Op just play where the game is best at the moment. U dont have to play ONLY 1/2 and ONLY 2/5. If its a very fishy game at 2/5 play it. If the game is very fishy at 1/2 play it. Even if a very soft 5/10 or even 10/20 (if u have the roll for it) game comes up i would definetly play it if i feel the players are very bad.

Dont be ashamed of ur wr, its actually rly good for 1/2.

I dont play 1/2 but my wr at 2/5 is around $67 over 850 hours.

Why are there so many posts in this thread? If you win more dollars per hour at 2/5 and you're rolled for the variance, then play 2/5. If either of those things is not true of any particular session, play 1/2.

So many posts, because we all like to compare our winrate to everything that gets published.

$40 hr over 1k hrs I can buy. Over 6 hours alot tougher.

But when he says he maybe downswings $600 once a month. We know we are getting trolled. Winrate that high. Would be maxing out value in everyspot. Doing that will inevitably lead to some huge downswing s over 6k hours

Your win rates are not real. And if you have 75,000 of unreported income, you're just not very smart. It won't exactly be hard for someone at the IRS to figure that out if they take a look at your finances when your reported income is 0 and you're spending 75,000 a year.

I'm very surprised so many people think this. I play 2/3 NL w $300 max buyin which I think extremely similar to 1/2 NL w $300 max buyin. The max buyins are the same. It is the lowest level at the casino that I play in so it is the cheapest game available for the bad players looking to gamble. Preflop raises are $12-15 in my game, just like most 1/2 games I've played elsewhere. My win rate in dollars is nearly the same as OP's (I def have much less hours), but 15 BB/hr is accepted as achievable for a good, winning player w a significant skill edge vs most of his opponents.

My round about point is that the 150 BB buyin makes stacks bigger so even though it's 1/2, it essentially plays the same as a slightly bigger game and if we take that into account, although the BB/hr seem higher than normal for a 1/2 win rate, it would be reasonable if we looked at it the same as a higher BB game w the same buyin.

And cash income is pretty sweet especially if you have a wife that is the "bread winner" in the family.

So to OP, what city are you playing in?

15 BB/hr is extremely difficult over a long period. Possible if you are absolutely crushing and/or game selecting perfectly.

Nearly 25BB/hr is not possible over a reasonable sample. Especially at 1/2 where the rake is such a high percentage of each pot.

I think $50 hr is attainable. In the right senerio.

-deep tables
-deep buy-ins
-player pool would have to be quite large
-winning regs in room would need to have leaks
-2/5 game eats up good regs
-need to play short handed quite often


I would rather play 1/2 with $300 max. Than 2/5 $ 500 max (with a bunch of short stacks)

But it is very unlikely!!!!!!!

$40 hr is very attainable in a $300 max game.

Thread is kinda turning bloggish/Poker Goals and Challenges-ish, and attracting near trolling. Please take the winrate and bankroll stuff to that thread, and maybe start a PG&C.