Poker Session ROI & Statistics Calculator
Tracks your hourly win rate and adjusted profit for a single poker cash game session. Use it immediately after playing to benchmark performance across sessions and game types.
About this calculator
Cash game profitability is best measured in dollars per hour (bb/hr in live poker). This calculator computes an adjusted hourly rate using: rate = ((cashOut − buyIn) / sessionLength) × gameType × (1 + ln(max(handsPlayed / sessionLength / 75, 0.1))). The base profit-per-hour is scaled by a gameType multiplier (e.g. 1 for cash, higher for faster formats). The natural log term adjusts for pace: if you played significantly more or fewer than 75 hands per hour (the live poker standard), your effective sample of decisions differs, and the log function compresses extreme values smoothly. A result above zero indicates a winning session on an hourly basis.
How to use
Buy-in = $200, cash out = $350, session length = 4 hours, hands played = 280, game type multiplier = 1. Base rate: ($350 − $200) / 4 = $37.50/hr. Hands per hour: 280 / 4 / 75 = 0.933. Log adjustment: 1 + ln(max(0.933, 0.1)) = 1 + ln(0.933) = 1 − 0.069 = 0.931. Adjusted rate: $37.50 × 1 × 0.931 = $34.91/hr. Enter your numbers and instantly see your session's adjusted hourly profitability.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good hourly win rate for live cash game poker?
A solid recreational live cash player might win $10–$25/hr at $1/$2 stakes, while a strong professional at $2/$5 or higher can earn $50–$150/hr over a large sample. Online players measure win rate in big blinds per 100 hands (bb/100) rather than dollars, since table speeds vary. A win rate of 5–10 bb/100 is considered excellent online. Single-session results are highly volatile; meaningful win-rate data requires hundreds of hours.
How many hours of poker do I need to determine my true win rate?
Variance in poker is enormous; you typically need 200–500 hours of live cash data, or 100,000+ hands online, before your win rate stabilizes into a reliable estimate. Before that threshold, standard deviation swings can make a long-term winner look like a loser (or vice versa). Tracking every session meticulously and logging results in a tool like this accelerates the point at which your data becomes meaningful. Consistency of game selection and stakes is essential for clean comparison.
Why does the number of hands played affect my session win rate calculation?
Hands per hour is a proxy for decision density — more hands mean more opportunities to realise your edge. If you played at a fast table or online, your sample of decisions per hour is larger and your results are more statistically meaningful than a slow live game. The log adjustment in this calculator prevents a very high hands-per-hour count from linearly inflating your rate, smoothing the effect so results remain comparable across game speeds.