Understanding the Concept of the Poker Win Rate
One of the things that you will hear about in online Poker is the win rate. There are different ways that people look at this, but it all boils down to the same thing: how successful or profitable you are.
The concept of a win rate is important to Poker players because unlike in other card games, you stand a good chance of making a lot of money; some, as you may be aware, even make their living by playing the game on a professional level. Of course the money they make is different from those of the casual player, and it is to the "ordinary" player that the win rate is more applicable.
The Poker win rate is calculated by taking the number of big blinds won in a given number of hands (usually 100) and in what limit. For example, a player wins an average of 1 ½ big blinds every 100 hands in a $2/$4 limit. Multiply that by over 15,000 hands and the player would have earned about $900.
When calculating your Poker win rate, be sure to account not just the number of hands played, but also how the total money was won. For example, you may have won $20,000, but if you were able to do that in a single hand at a $1,000/$2,000 limit, then that doesn't tell you much. Your true success rate is better determined by the accumulated amount you win over several hands.
Of course some will argue that it really doesn't matter how you won your Poker money; what matters is that you won. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but by analyzing your win rate, you will be able to get a better idea of how well or how badly you are playing.
Some players actually keep notes or even set up charts that track their win rate in different Poker limits, and if they are more successful in live or online casinos. Some even use different win rate calculations for the blinds, the antes, etc. You can do this if you want, but (obviously) the more calculations you make, the more complicated the numbers will be. Don't forget that the reason you track the win rate is to make it easy for yourself.
In the end, the Poker win rate, and how you calculate it, will depend entirely on you. How it affects your overall game is also something you will determine on your own. But what you should remember is that it is a tool that you can use to make yourself a more successful competitor on the felt.