Good Hourly Rate Live? Or Just Luck?

[Cloutier]

I've heard that a good hourly rate for live 1/2 is anywhere between $10 to $20 hourly. I'm doing a little better than that (at 2/2) but I don't play long sessions. So I'm wondering; is my hourly rate "better" ONLY because I'm playing shorter sessions? Or is this actually a good sign?

I find that I can go to the poker room, sit down for two or sometimes three hours and make $100 to $150. I'm not a wealthy guy, so a hundred bucks is a fair amount of money to me. So once I hit that mark I usually call it a night and head home happy. However, I can't help but wonder if my hourly rate would be worse if I actually stuck around.

Or should it be better?

I guess what I'm asking is, is it common to sit down for a short time and make half a buy-in? I'm sure that the guys that make $10 to $20 hourly are making more than me for their total sessions. And I'm sure that a hundred bucks or so isn't much to them. But it's hard to keep playing when I feel like I've done what I came to do.

It's really not that hard to hit that target which is why I kinda feel like I'm cheating. Like, sure I can make 100 in an hour or two but would I be loser in longer sessions? Or am I actually leaving money on the table?

I plan on playing longer sessions starting today and I'll report back and let everyone know how it goes. But I'd love to get some feedback from the community on this.

I also want to mention that this isn't a one-off type of thing. I've done this 15 times at this point. So yes, it's not a huge sample size but it has been consistent. I have had a couple losing sessions (and I know more will come) but I've also had a couple nights where I made much, much more than a hundred or so. Coincidentally those sessions were a little longer but I really feel like those big wins were just a big dose of run good.

I will say, I think the live players at my local room are pretty soft (for the most part). That plays a major role in all this I'm sure. because before I go play live I always do at least 20 minutes of HH review in PT4 and play at least 30 minutes of online cash. And I play online every day (with very different results lol).

Anyway, I wanted to provide as much info as I could. I can provide more if needed but that's gist of it all. So what do ya' think?

[reeeeeeper]

Do you keep records? After about 1000 hours of data you should have your hourly rate to a wide margin of error but reasonable to make conclusions with regarding BR requirements and/or moving up. 10BB/hr is definitely possible at lower stakes.

[Cloutier]

I don't keep records yet. I just write down what I buyin with, what I cashout and the days and times. That's about it right now.

[reeeeeeper]

If you have time start and time end you can pretty easily calculate your exact hourly though.

[Byrdman]

Get pokerbankrolltracker for free on mobile device. It lets you start your session and end in real time and has the buy in amount you use and the cashout. It auto calculates your rates wins losses and has a hand replayer. I really like it and its nice to see exactly what the rates are just by starting and ending your session. Easy to use and free. There is a pro mode you can purchase as well which has more functions that seem nice too but i just have the free one. App store for iphone and im sure google play store has it too

[Byrdman]

Idk if this is all correct but if the profits you are earning are from a couple big hands or a few flips id say longer sesions might not be as big. In my case if i play a couple hours i get up usually purdy well and slowly dwiddle back down a ways. The longer i play the less i win due to flaws in my game. I cant wait to hear your results in the longer sessions tho. Goodluck

[Cloutier]

I'll check out the app. I've been looking for something to help me keep better track of my hands during live play.

I'd say that, on average, most of the money comes from a few value hands and one or two bluffs. It's usually not many hands though. I tend to play tight at live games unless the situation supports loosening up. Thanks for sharing your results. I'll post again later this week or early next week and let everyone know how it goes.

[allin]

I recall JL saying a lot of his students were making $100+/hour playing $5/10. Is anyone here actually doing that? I've been averaging about $60/hr the last few hundred hours playing 2/5 live in Melbourne. The rake is 10% max $15, but the tables are 'turbo' so we get 30 hands/hr instead of the usual 25 elsewhere (turbo refers to getting 10 secs to decide after 10 secs have passed.)

[Dilly]

Jesus that rake is brutal lol

[reeeeeeper]

$60/hr (12BB/hr) is pretty good for $2/5, keep it up!

[allin]

Thanks reeeeeeper! Casino still closed since mid-March - aaarrrggghh! Just re the rake - there's no tipping in Australian casinos so it could be worse. Also I seem to recall that most tables that don't use a timer only deal about 20 hands per hour - can anyone confirm? If so then getting an extra 50% hands per hour dealt at turbo tables is a massive plus. It's also a big positive that poker/gambling profits are all tax-free over here.