Does anyone else who works full time (and has a real life of some kind with friends and/or family) find it a bit of a nightmare trying to fit in 50 STT's a week (or a million hands or however much cash players are expected to play)?

 If I want to have any hope of getting near the target whilst also spending some time with my wife, kids and a friend or two then I find myself playing at ridiculous o'clock on quite a regular basis and it is taking most of the fun out of poker a the moment (and knackering me out for work the next day).

 I have actually found myself being more concerned about playing the required number of games rather than my actual results, which can't be right.  Before joining BB my ROI for STTS over about 1000 games (which I know isn't a massive sample) was more than 30%.  Since joining (and playing on ipoker for the first time) my ROI over about 750 games is 8%.  I am sure a lot of this dip in performance is down to playing when I really do not feel like it, just for the sake of meeting the quota and trying to squeeze in game after game even when I am aware that my mindset is not quite right.

Anyway, does anyone else experience a similar problem or is it just me? 

How many tables are you playing at once?

 

Good question.

I did try playing 9 at once, but this certainly contributed to a steep decline in profitability.  I have found that four tabling seems to be the maximum I can play to reduce mistakes in the late game either through missing opportunities to steal blinds or having very little notion of my opponents pushing ranges. 

Thinking about it though, I suppose it may be worth trying to increase the number of tables again...but slowly...as this will reduce the number of hours I am having to put in.  I think I'll have to weigh up whether playing slightly too many tables for my liking is more plus EV than playing when I am too tired!

I just think that it would be more proftable for BB and me if I did not have to play quite so many games per week.

How many hours do others put in each week - and how many days on average are people playing?  I think it would be interesting to see how much time people are investing in their poker playing.

Because I am only four tabling now and play standard speed STTs I need to put in about 2 hours every day to hit the target and if I miss a day I will need to make that time up.  Unfortunately, there are usually about 2 days each week when I can't play.

Quit your job

Helpful words indeed anyway back to the original sensible question ..... I know exactly what you mean, my ROI was around 20% two years ago on another site that I am sure BB have had enough of me banging on about , but after 1000 games on ipoker it is around 10% , however that is after a pretty poor start as a trainee/trader on STTs when I tried too high a buyin too often, now that I have started thinking more about the STTs I play my ROI is back up to 20 - 30%

However 50 a week may be tricky, ironically the better you are the harder it becomes as if you are constantly getting ITM then you are going to playing a lot lot more hours than the equivalent target for a cash player. Cash is also a lot easier to multi table, even I can do 4 !! and that is saying something, for Tourneys I play 2 or at most 3 STTs and maybe one MTT at the same time. It is a lot easier to make reads and such when you just have two tables open.

So if you say 5 "sessions" or days a week then you need 10 per day !!

Good Luck

Andy

My advice is to never take Dan's advice.

 And secondly play the number of tables that you feel give the greatest return, in terms of rake and profit over the month. I am still yet to find the right balance, I've played from 3 tables to 12 tables cash and still don't really know the 'optimal' number of tables. Whilst badbeat want you to fulfil the required table hours remember that this shouldn't be done simply by adding tables to the limited numbers of hours you play at the expense of overall profit...this isn't in anyone's interest. Speak to you mentor and see what their advice is,

 All the best,

 Tuesdayclub.

don't worry about the numbers too much, if you're a winning player consistently and your performance is being affected by trying to get your stt's in, then it surely isn't in badbeats best interest to make you play so much.

the plan has to be to make money with minimum risk to badbeat and yourself so reduce the risks and play your A game

i'm in exactly the same situation, kids, job, mortgage etc and i've given up trying to get my hours in. if i do, then i so but if i'm knackered or in a bad mood, i just don't bother as i know i'm going to spend the rest of the week clawing back the mess i make when i'm playing tired just to get my number of hands in.

occasionally still,i do play tired if feel a bit guilty that i haven't played for a couple of days and 9 out of 10 times, i play poorly or lose concentration quickly.  so in the long run, i am actually wasting the time when i feel like playing clawing back losses first.

only my opinion and i'm not saying that you should hardly play but if it's affecting your game then it doesn't make any sense to play so much and a good roi over fewer games reads better than a mediocre roi over loads and has to be more enjoyable

good luck

Bad Beat make their money through your rake. They have referred a player to a site and therefore they get a cut of your rake. This is why they are willing to allow you to move up the stakes while taking from your bankroll. I think this is a good thing as everybody wins

This is why they want you to put the hours in, not because they want you to make them more money.

 

I do believe multi tabling is just part of online poker now. Online is alot more about the long run decision rather than the short run. So as long as you can quickly figure out the long run decision you are faced with then multi tabling shouldn't be a problem. People multi table so these long run decision even out alot quicker.

 I agree that you must multi-table - in fact it would be deathly dull to play only one table (unless it was ultra high-stakes, or maybe heads up cash).  I just find that there is a point where it is more difficult to play anything other than robotically and for me it seems to be over four tables.  Perhaps it is a matter of practice - as when I first started I found it difficult to move from one table to two.  For the time being I will try adding on one table so that I am generally playing 5 at a time and see how I get on with that.

Thanks for all the comments people.

I think especially on ipoker it really depends what STTs you're playing. If you're playing the 50s and 100s regualar speed 10max then you're never going to be able to play more than 5 or 6 tables because the games just don't run often enough.

Once you get comfortable playing a few more tables try throwing in some 6max games or some turbo's to fill out the number of games that you're playing. It is harder to multi-table 6max because by their nature you have to play more hands and stacks are generally deeper on the bubble and heads up.

 At the moment I'm 12-tabling anything that runs from the 20s to the 100s, just getting in as many games as possible. I'm averaging about 25 games per day spending a couple of hours a day playing, maybe 3 if I win quite a few 10max games.

If you're playing poker for another form of income then its your $/hour rate thats important, not really your ROI. With the 22.5% rakeback that Traders get it pays more to get the volume in that is does trying to play a 30% ROI SNG game (not sustainable long term btw) and struggle to reach volume targets imo.

 I feel the same about meeting the requirements.  I'm forcing play when I know I'm not in the right frame of mind for playing just so I meet the required hands and badbeat get there rake.  It isn't actually doing my any favours playing when I'm tired and grumpy.  In fact it is defeating the object of playing which is to profit and minimise losses.  I have had a bad week where I know I haven't been in the right frame of mind all week and been stressed out but the poker hands still have to be played...  I have lost a lot this week because I'm forcing playing.  Yes bad beat have made a lot of rake from me but I've now got to work my butt off to try and make that back.  It really just doesn't seem logical and it isn't enjoyable to play when you aren't going to perform as well as you should.

I'd feel much happier if I could play over the required hands when I'm having a good run and I'm on form.  Then either play minimal or no hands when I'm not in the best position to play.  I think this would be more profitable for myself and bad beat in the long run. Plus it means I'm still meeting the required amount of hands a month.  Just not weekly...

Hello Clairey,

Players are not required to play 3000 hands per week just to generate rake. The 3000 hands a week figure is what we believe is needed to even out the skill over luck side of playing poker that all winning poker players are aware of.

If you feel you are struggling to complete the required hands or believe you need time off then please bring this to your mentor's attention so you can come to some kind of arrangement. If you cannot get hold of your mentor then please email info@badbeat.com so we can pass on your message.

Kind regards,

Dave Robertson

 

 Thanks for that information Dave :)

Hi there! Some tips I would give you. Dont play sets, if you open 9 games the same time your getting in troubles if your 4 handed on 9 tables. Play turbo tournaments. Get comfortable with ICM if not yet done so. Open 3 games, wait 2 or 3 levels, then open another 2 games, wait 2 leves then open another 3 games. That way your not playing shorthanded on all the games, can easy fold on the fullring games & can go for the big score on the action tables. Get multi tabling tools. Like autohotkey, or ipokertools to easier multitable. use google

 i think if you want to be a trader you need to be willing to put the hours in.#

I myself do not have a job and i live in a foreign country, but my girlfriend does everything to accomodate me. This means me playing from around 12pm till 7 or 8pm local time, which takes in the busy UK hours.

I only started this month and am pretty sure it might take a while to become a trader, but an A-2star rating on pokerprolabs, should at least show the potential. 

i normally play around 3 or 4 mtt at the same time ( if there is anything in my limited buy in range) and on occasions i try to get a few stt in as well.

 

To the OP.. try to dedicate time.. dont try to juggle work. family and poker and or firneds at the same time.. if you dedicate 2 or 3 hours to poker a day you should easily get the work done i would say