How do you rate your play?

[turbotilt]

How would do you rate your own play? I've recently tried to gauge it using BB won per 100 hands, but there is nothing to compare it to. Is 4BB's/100 hands good and how does it compare? Just wondering if other players use to gauge their play.

[sweetjazz]

I gauge my play by seeing if I am making fundamentally sound decisions on a much more frequent basis than my opposition. I think this is the right metric to use in low and medium stakes games.

[Trouthunter]

One hand at a time - You can look at the stats for long term results and to try to plug holes, but if I feel like I played a hand perfectly, regardless of whether I won the pot or not, then I'm playing exactly how I want to play and the long term results will work themselves out. If I feel like I made a bad decision with the wrong odds or tilted and got lucky or whatever, then even if I managed to win the pot, I'm not going to be happy with my play.

[morrisonsm]

As long as i win more than i lose, i don't really care.

[Mr. Orange]

I agree with Trouthunter. Basically one hand at a time. If i have a losing session I replay the session in pokertracker. Sometimes I find leaks othertimes i made the right play but someone got lucky.

What limits do you play at? 4BB/100 is high, expect this number to drop.

[jonny quest]

I suck!

Yesterday I am in a B&M 3/5 NL full table at Commerce; after three hours I am up $250. Suddenly, on one hand, I decide to play gambler/sheriff against a donk who has been routinely bringing it for $60 and showing down KQ os, etc.

With pocket 8's in MP I open for $15 all fold to donk who raises to his standard $60. I say "f" it...and push all in.

Then I do this dumb move as he pauses. I show him my pocket 8's! As if to say, "What ever you have--you wanna race?!!!"

Well, he called and showed pocket 10's which held. He won $450 and I was broke.

The guy sitting next to me said, "Man, why did you do that?"

I said, "Because I suck."

And I do.

When I can stick to the fundamentals and make better decisions than my opponents, as others have stated, that is when I am at my best--usually resulting in a profit proportional to variance.

When I make bad decisions, especially based on emotions (usually fear or anger or righteous indignation), I always lose...no matter how good my luck turns out to be.

[chessforlife]

I think you can only gauge your play by how much money you win or lose over a long run. Everything else is too prone to lying to yourself.

[ViciousGame]

I always thought the goal was 1 big bet/hr.

[Optimizer]

Chessforlife is basically correct. Track your play including hours played and amounts won or lost. Total these all up over time and calculate your win amount per hour of play. From this information, you should also be able to calculate your percentage return on the money you put at risk.