When it comes to poker especially online poker there are lots of different ways to track your success. Entire sites are dedicated to giving statistics about you and everyone else. Things like ROI (return on investment), hands played, buy-ins, and on and on. But when it comes right down to it the most important statistic is your bankroll. It is probably also the easiest to track because you are always aware of it when you are playing.
If you want to determine how well you are playing the simplest method is to look at your bankroll. Is it going up, down, or staying steady? Which way has it gone over the past month, the past six months, or the past year? Answering these questions will give you a good idea of where your game is at.
When answering these two questions, you will put yourself in one of three categories: Profitable player, winning player, or losing player.
Profitable player: If you are able to cash out your profits on a regular basis or your bankroll is steadily trending upwards then you are a profitable player. You are probably playing the game as well as you can and do not need to make adjustment. Be careful if you do make minor adjustments so as not to throw your game off.
Winning player: If your bankroll has remained constant over a period of time that puts you in the winning category. In order to maintain a bankroll you need to be winning enough to cover the tourney buy in fees or the rake if you play cash games. Your game needs some minor adjustments to get you to the next level.
Losing player: If you are constantly depositing and losing all of your bankroll, you are a losing player. You can blame it on the poker sites or the donks or whatever else you want but others are playing the same games you are and are in the other two categories. At this stage you need to do some serious analysis of your game in order to figure out what you are doing wrong and how to improve.
It is important to note that just because you are a profitable player at your current level, you may be a losing player at a higher level. The play and the players get better as you move up.
In order to improve your game you first must determine where you are at. What does your bankroll tell you about your game?
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2 comments
I've been in all 3 catagories. I guess consistency is my biggest problem. Some months I do great others... well... let's just say it aint always peaches and cream. The bad times really devistate me though because I have yet to figure out how to make it through them. I've tried taking breaks, different games, you can't play lower stakes than I already do, but none of these seem to work. So, I usually ride out the storm, and try to rebuild when it's over. Most times I just hover neither gaining nor losing ground.
Great blog, and I agree completely. Your bankroll tells all.