Here's what my Poker Journal tells me right now:

range winrate (hours:minutes in that range)

1-2 $70.79 (7:25)
3-4 $30.88 (6:50)
4-5 $3.25 (4:55)
5-6 $46.21 (146:50)
6-7 $30.57 (443:40)
7-8 $12.81 (65:25)
8-9 -$22.86 (57:05)
9-10 $15.01 (95:35)
10-11 $36.13 (207:50)
11-12 $47.13 (148:50)
12+ $45.39 (98:35)

Lol, good luck figuring out those stats. Looks like I start off strong, then start to suck, then get a second wind?

Gjustabunchoff**kingrandomnumbersasfarasIcantellG

Usually after 7 PM at Red Rock. Most nights I play from like 8-1 or 9-2, just depends what time I get there and when the games start breaking or getting short-handed.

Very small sample size, FWIW.

Wow you're a heck of a grinder lol. 6-7 hour typical sessions, I can't imagine that.

My hypothesis would be that playing longer than usual (8-9) is a bad idea (tilty, tired etc.) but you only put in serious time (11+) in the best games.

But yeah I don't think you can read too much into it.

Ya, this is my conclusion too. Some of those ranges only have a handful of sessions in them.

My average session is over 7+ hours. I only get out once a week, so I want to make the most of the session.

Good hypothesis, but it doesn't stand up. I leave at 9:30pm (like, maybe 2 or 3 exceptions to this), so whatever amount of hours I've gotten in at the table (based on whenever the table opens for the day or when I get a seat in the game) is what I get.

Agreed, I don't think I can read anything into it at all.

question for you guys and gals...

i track my sessions on check your bets.com . I go to a lot of underground games that reward "on time" bonuses and high hand jackpots. Should I count these bonuses and jackpots into my hourly rate? How should I be tracking these additional bonuses/jackpots?

This is what I have been doing so far but maybe its wrong. I could use some advice.

"On time" bonuses
For example : I buy in for $200 but get an additional $20 (10% bonus) starting my session at $220. I end the session leaving with $500. I technically leave the session up $300 but for tracking purposes, I enter in a profit of $280 ( Started with $220, left with $500) I do put in a sidenote that I received an additional $20 from the house.

"High Hand" jackpots
For example: I buy in for $200 but I win the high hand for an additional $100 during the game which is also included into my stack. I end the session leaving with $500. I technically leave the session up $200 but for tracking purposes, I enter in a profit of $300 (Started with $200, left with $500 as the high hand jackpot of $100 was included into my stack during the game) I do put in a sidenote that I received an additional $100 from the house for winning the high hand jackpot.

What do you guys think?

Not sure how that site works but surely it should have some way to input bonuses. If not I'd just add it to each session, it's money you are earning regularly and reliably, not like spiking a BBJ.

Played my first 100 hours at 2-3-5 since moving up at the start of August.
Initial impression: The play is similar to 1/2/3 except there are more aggro/bluffy players. The regs are about as bad but make less very bad preflop mistakes and are a bit bluffier. The number of decent to good or confirmed good players is about twice as high, which means that there's still not very many of them.
Squeezing works wonders.

Anyway, results have been pretty good.

Sup bros, long time 2p2 lurker who has lost the password to a previous account dating back to like '05. Question for the part-time live guys: What's the longest/biggest downswing you've encountered in live games? I've lost more $ in the past 2 months than I ever have in my life, and this includes recent play at MD Live where competent players are just printing $. I grinded online for years and understand variance; I've been on 50k+ breakeven/downswings and I've probably played over a million hands online at stakes above .5/1.... I'm just in a terrible mental state right now. Thanks

Probably about 40k in $, and 2500 big blinds in blinds. Deep 1000+ bb buyin games though.

Jesus Sol

Pretty sick. I mean, I guess I'm not shocked that I'm down as much as I am in these live games, but it's still crazy to me right now. I've logged like 300 hours dating back to the beginning of the year (yeah lol sample size) but I feel like I'm just getting crushed in every spot.

If you are buying in for 1000 bb yourself, I would expect more than 2500 bb swings, yes/no? Or is it just so rare that 1000 bbs go in?

So, I've been reading up on casino games in Puerto Rico (where I live), and they kinda seem to suck. The only casino game that gets any action is a 2/5 game at the Intercontinental, which really plays more like a 1/2 game because everyone min-buys (min buy is $100, no one buys in for less than $200), and then they play super passive. It's a megafishy game, but it's basically a short game with a murderously high rake (cap is $10 plus a few extra bucks punted to a Royal Flush Bonus). My question is:

1) I know the game is beatable given its fishiness, but how much could I expect to win in it, given the limitations (low stack sizes, high rake)? (background: I'm a reformed aggrotard with some live + online micros experience, I have semi-decent, though not stellar, handreading skills and an instinctive grasp of odds/equity vs range, and in loose games I play a lot of smallball and go after fairly thin value, though with rake this high I'd probably do my best to go after fat value only).

2) Given how minuscule average stack size (and presumably average contribution to pot) are, can I use thinner BRM for this game than for regular 2/5 games? How much money do I need to give this game a shot?

Very rare. These days I can't even be bothered to top up to cover people unless I have position and they are really bad.

In my experience there are break points for each person where if you're sufficiently deep they will tighten up a lot, but if you're deep enough they will loosen up again (more implieds + they can't get check-raised off draws since they have "implieds"), and then there's a depth where they will tighten up with everything once again. It's weird, and it depends for each person.

Multiple pivot points or w/e?

should be inflection points fwiw

This may not be the best spot for this post, maybe goals and challenges, so sorry in advance if this is the wrong area. However the main question I'm posing is about live win rates, and for a lack of response I'm thinking this might be a better area.
Hi everyone!

Hello all!

I am still relatively new to posting threads, so I apologize in advance if it is all over the place and TL;DR. I've played poker for approx. 5 years now, but after BF I quit playing online/casino and just played recreationally with friends. Prior to BF I played micros online and didn't take it to seriously. Just enough to pay for cell bill, gas, entertainment expenses. etc... no actual responsibilities. In January of 2013 I turned 21 and for old times sake I went to a local casino to play. I bought in for $300 at 1/3 NL and ran into some positive variance. Playing again wiped off the rust from playing online and I quickly began obsessing over the game again. Since January I have been playing part-time to supplement my income from my permanent part-time job. So far I have accumulated 340 hours and ~11,220 hands(assuming roughly 33 hands an hour). With only the 300 dollar BI, I have slowly built my roll up to $7,758 (have also cashed out $336 over the past 3 months). Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe $/HR and BB(Big Blind)/100 is essentially the same # at these stakes assuming 33 hands an hour. So I am earning $22.92 hr as well as 22.92BB/100. Is a BB/100 like this sustainable in a Live Casino setting? I am used to online when I made about 3 BB/100 but I've heard much higher winrates are attainable.

Current Life Situation:
I am now renting a condo on a year lease and am soon to have my vehicle paid off. While still being in college I do not intend to work at my current job as a career. With that being said I very heavily have the itch to play poker as my sole source of income while finishing out college. I a have no kids and am not married. With my current job I bring in about $1200 a month and have maybe $200/mo left for savings/entertainment expenses.

Live Poker Pro Q's:
As mentioned earlier, does that winrate translate into a feasible expectation of something that could be attained in the long run? Also what other 'hidden' expenses are generally not accounted for while playing poker as your sole income; (i.e. Not having benefits such as health insurance).

My current goal:
To grind up to a $10,000 bankroll and ideally play poker throughout the rest of my college career, unless persuaded otherwise. Keep in mind I'm not leaving a career to play, however my current job is a decent one for a college student (regular raises, 401k, health benefits).

Thank you in advance! Any help is appreciated, especially from live players!

yes you can make $50 an hr at 1/3

$30 an hr should be easy

Really? That's like 50bb/100h or something. I know live winrates are effing massive, but is a WR that high sustainable?

it is surely possible for some, but I wouldn't say its the norm. Expect half that.

Played a couple more times live since my first ti me a couple weeks ago, and man it is just nuts the types of people that sit down at the poker table. There are people that constantly buy in for 20/40$ at 1/2 and just give it away after a couple hands and then just repeat. People giving their stacks with mid pair, and calling off almost anything. After playing on dead usa sites that are just full of nit regs its really refreshing to see people happily give money away. Also got two outtered for the first time tonight when a guy bluff shoved a pair vs my two pair on turn and then hit a set on the river which was pretty sick which made a huge dent in my profits but wtver its poker. Live poker its a lot more fun too since most people are friendly and want to socialize

Answer is...... well.. It depends.

How good are you? What's the buy-in? How good are the games where you play? Do you table select(you better)? Change seats? Play nights and weekends?

From my experience:
I'm a 1-2x / week player with good job but enjoy the game. Decent online history. Since BF I put in about 500hrs /yr at 2-5NL mostly 500-600 max buy-in and a little bit of 5-5NL/5-10NL.

I play at Sands and Borgata mostly plus some other places. I feel the games are ridiculously soft at 2-5(don't even ask how bad they are at 1-2NL). It starts to get a little better at 5-5 and better still at 5-10 but not that much better just a lot more aggressive.

I still make a decent amount of mistakes and leave money on the table, but my game is pretty solid. I pretty much am printing money at 2-5 without too much variance. First 500hrs at $44/hr. 2nd 500hrs at $79/hr. Running above that since I passed 1000hrs.

So if you are any good and if you play in any decent market and with $300 buy-in at 1-3 you should be able to do $30/hr and maybe push $50/hr. If you are a superstar(probably not by your history) maybe $65.

Where do you play? How are the games? Lotta rec players?

As far as going pro. Forget it. Stay in college get a good job and play poker as an enjoyable and profitable hobby. That way it stays a game, not a job, and actually will remain fun. Don't become one of the many unhappy pro's who now hate the game which has become a miserable drudgery as a job. As a job, where you must win just to pay your bills which constantly eat away at your bankroll, poker sucks. No healthcare for you or your family, no guarantees, nothing. It's a hard and stressful way to try to survive and it gets harder every year.

$30-$65 at 1/3......You've got to be kidding me with this range of numbers

Why? Seems reasonable to me.