How will you know that you are crushing your level?

Moving up a level isn’t always the best thing to do with your poker game. There are more things to consider than just being properly bankrolled for the next level up. What you have to consider is that you are going to be playing at a higher level and with it brings a whole new set of table dynamics.

This article is based on my own experiences at NL50 and NL100 which over the past few months I have not only recorded very large sample sizes at but also have discussed the merits of these levels with other professional players and grinders. I think that in terms of PokerTracker big bets per 100 (ptbb/100) then anything 7ptbb/100 at NL50 is crushing the level. This would be slightly lower at NL100 although not so on some networks over others.

On bwin poker for instance then I could well imagine someone crushing NL100 for a similar ptbb/100 than they would NL50 as I have never seen any discernable long term difference in the two levels. So if you were achieving 5ptbb/100 or more in NL100 then I would class that as certainly crushing the level and these guidelines tend to fall in a linear way the higher you play.

This is why I prefer to multi-table lower stakes as the ability to multi-table without it hurting your bottom line often offsets being able to play higher up the food chain. It is no point having PokerTracker if you do not know what the software does on a game theoretical level. I have spoken or have heard of many people who buy this wonderful software and then struggle with it through a lack of interpretation or understanding. The forums on the PokerTracker site are always alive with questions and answers and I fully recommend using them if you are a rookie.

The software is just too complex in its depth for any one person to understand it fully. On the question of sample sizes with regards the confidence level of your earn rate then I think that 20k hands is significant but a long way from being conclusive due to standard deviation. I would ascertain that a 100k sample size would be nearer the mark but even then vastly different earn rates can be recorded over different 100k samples. But if you have a decent sized sample of 50k hands plus and are showing 7ptbb/100 or more then the chances are that moving up can be considered.

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