Hello everyone, I have a cash game question. When someone says they hope to make something like 5 BB/100 over the long run....what does that mean?

It means that for every 100 hands played they're hoping to average a gain of 5bb.

In a 1/2 game, the BB is $2, so for every 100 hands played, they're hoping to win $10.

It SOUNDS like not very much, and in a live 1/2 game it works out to about $3.33/hour, but if you can maintain that winrate long term then when you move up to something like 25/50 you're talking $83/hour on average.

And it's really quite a feat considering that includes all the times you get stacked while playing correctly.

So for an average 1/2 game...some being good players and some being not so good...is 5 BB/100 ok? If not, what is a good win rate for that game?

'Good' is relative ... Some books indicate that you should be beating your 'current' level of stakes at a clip of 20bb or more before you think about making the move to the next stakes. Usually with cash games you talk bb/hour not bb/100 but it's all just math.

Relative to what you 'need' to make, how comfortable you are and bankroll considerations.

From what I have seen. The better players at 1-2 can 'easily' make $20/hour. You are only seeing 40 or so hands per hour so if you steal the blinds once an orbit and win a decent pot every 2 orbits you should be able to hit $10/hour no problem, right?

The biggest issue with live poker is the idea the you 'need' to play a bunch more hands than you should since 'everyone' is doing it!!

I have started giving up my sb more often, not playing as much from EP with dominated hands (A7/K9/J7) and have seen my stack remain more consistent.

Obviously poker is about 'not losing' as much as it's about 'winning' .. both have an affect on your stack. GL

So basically tight ABC poker, at least from the early positions. Stay away from the temptation of playing what will be dominated hands and try to steal the occasional pot in position?

As a beginner playing live 1/2 you should be playing tight ABC poker from all positions and shouldn't be looking to steal any pots. As you gain experience you will begin identifying spots to bluff but in general a value-oriented strategy is best.

Some hands can be limped, like small pocket pairs and suited aces.

The first 40$ I made by playing 2NL was just like that. Playing ABC poker with occasional blind stealing on 6 tables. My C-bet was nearly 80% though, so that helped as well.

Thanks for the responses everyone....helps me out for sure.