I'm interested to know from people of varying abilities how much volume you put in per week, and how frequently you make FTs. I know this will vary considerably from those playing at micros (such as myself) compared to those at the mid/high stakes.

I feel that I am currently playing better than ever, while also working very hard to improve all the time, but I am aware that it can still take a long time for this to translate into any results (especially as I don't put in a lot of volume). I can't be sure that I am playing winning poker, I can only keep working hard and remain confident that that is the case.

The question I really want to know is, at what point can I be sure that it is not variance that is responsible for my results, (if we can know this)?

I find anything over 6 tables difficult, but i find 8 and 10 tabling the 0.02 hyper turbos and the 0.10 turbos and a couple of the 0.25 on stars great practice plus you dont lose much in the process.

get some one "good" at poker to review your HHs, kinda hard to self-evaluate when you are learning the game since there are so many things we don't know (since we are learning). sometimes we think we are playing well/getting better but can't see the mistakes we make or areas we can improve on because we just don't know they are mistakes and can't see the opportunities to make great plays because we don't see them (like a better player would see them).

glgl OP.

 

Originally Posted by djdoodoo

The more you play the more money you will make so long as playing excessively isn't detrimental to your ability at the table.
Studying may help you get better but if you don't play enough you won't see the results. Huge sample sizes increase the reliability of your analyses.

+1
i think you'll be the 1st one to know when u have gotten outside of ur comfort level as far as volume. if u can consistently crush 1 table and move to 2 tables and have some similar results, then try 3 tables. or if u play for four hours and can play optimal then try 5 or 6 hours. if in any of these scenarios u start to play bad drop back to ur comfort level and re-group. if your winning on 2 tables and 3 makes u start to lose then go back to 2 tables. if playing 5 hrs instead of 3 hrs is eating ur roll drop back. when u get in any these drop back spots that 's when u need to study hh, certain spots, and find ur leaks. imo

 

Originally Posted by EyeKnows

get some one "good" at poker to review your HHs, kinda hard to self-evaluate when you are learning the game since there are so many things we don't know (since we are learning). sometimes we think we are playing well/getting better but can't see the mistakes we make or areas we can improve on because we just don't know they are mistakes and can't see the opportunities to make great plays because we don't see them (like a better player would see them).

glgl OP.

While I'm not being formally coached, I review HHs with a friend of mine who turned pro a couple of years ago, so I think I have all the resources to keep improving. Like many things, I feel it comes down to hard work and persistence, and I'm committed to this.

 

Originally Posted by blueboy44

+1
i think you'll be the 1st one to know when u have gotten outside of ur comfort level as far as volume. if u can consistently crush 1 table and move to 2 tables and have some similar results, then try 3 tables. or if u play for four hours and can play optimal then try 5 or 6 hours. if in any of these scenarios u start to play bad drop back to ur comfort level and re-group. if your winning on 2 tables and 3 makes u start to lose then go back to 2 tables. if playing 5 hrs instead of 3 hrs is eating ur roll drop back. when u get in any these drop back spots that 's when u need to study hh, certain spots, and find ur leaks. imo

I find that I can play optimally on 5/6 tables, and still be able to keep up with my image, gameflow, table dynamics etc. Any more than that and it's just asking too much if I want to play my best. As far as duration goes, I don't think I can put in a 20+ hour session and be playing solid throughout, so I tend to play at times that coincide with my normal routine.

 

Originally Posted by boneralert

I am currently playing around 500 MTTs per month, though at my peak it was probably more like 550. If I had access to stars it would be more like 600-650/month. Final Table % is just not something Id worry about, as it's way too sensitive to variance, and will depend a lot on average and median field size.

Id advise you to be patient with increasing your volume until you feel more confident/comfortable with your game. In order to get better you really need to experiment with different concepts that you are learning, see where they work, and figure out how you need to tweak them. It's just not as easy to do this with a bunch of tables open.

I am currently putting in around 100 tourneys per month, but there is some scope to perhaps double that if things pick up. Beyond that, not much as I have other commitments. Of course, with volume like this, the fact that I am learning (and making mistakes), and variance in general, it is going to take longer to see some results. Good comment about implementing different concepts - I find I am really able to take my time on 5/6 tables to use new information I've picked up, and this is working nicely so far.

 

Originally Posted by iPlayTourneys

Depends on variance.. sometimes i have months where i FT 3 or more FT's per day, sometimes it takes a week. But never gone without a FT/week in the last three years or so.

All stakes all field sizes.

However, capped mtt's are way easier to FT (or high stake, smaller field mtts) then big5's or big8's obviously.. On sunday I've only hit 1 50K score and that's my sunday success lifetime.

So variance is a bitch. Focus on good play and let the rest figure itself out. Never stop wanting to improve and never stop learning from others. Plays better or worse, you can learn from every single person you are playing against because like i said 'u a re playing against them'.

My guess is you are putting a lot more volume than me, but interesting nonetheless. While I accept it isn't too important, I was just interested to know what can be expected if playing well and often enough. I actually try to play all the capped games on stars for the reasons you mention. I plan to keep posting and learning as I am confident that in due time I will make that breakthrough, whatever form that takes.

Thanks for your input everyone. GL ALL

Might be worth mentioning that if you run like me you can put in the hours and lose more than you would have if you hadn't played at all. :P