This question is a common one to ask if you want to make playing poker a significant source of profit. However, you will have to invest a lot of time studying various strategies. Players can also improve their poker skills by reading numerous guides or by watching famous players at the top of their game. But keep in mind that it will take some time and thousands of hands played before you start earning considerable amounts of money.
Crucial Factors That Determine the Winnings
The amount of money online poker player can make always depends on several different factors like:
- What stakes are they playing at?
- What is the expected rake back or some other bonuses?
- How much time are they prepared to dedicate to playing online poker?
Let’s start providing some answers
There are various stakes you can play your poker game at. The higher they are, the better winnings they provide. However, if you are new at this adrenalin-pumping casino game, you should start playing at lower stakes. That is, until you get some practice and self-confidence.
Once you get some experience and you feel ready, you can start playing at several tables at once, i.e., multi-tabling and earning considerable and steady winnings. Let’s presume that a player takes this game seriously, studies his, as well as others’ gameplay, dedicates a significant amount of time to the game, and sometimes even does multi-tabling. This player can expect a gambling income that ranges from $100 to $500 a month for playing at low stakes. Moreover, this can amount to an astounding $750 to $2000 a month at high stakes.
Here are some examples that should clarify what kind of stakes there are and how they affect the winnings. They are all marked differently, according to the required big blinds.
Types of Stakes and How They Work
The stakes are usually marked with letters NL and different numbers, depending on what the big blinds requirement is. Here are some examples of different stakes you can play with.
The smallest stake you can play at is NL2, where the big blinds are 2c or 3c. Although this is the lowest bet you can place in poker, you can expect the highest win rate here because this kind of betting is reserved for beginners. But if you decide to master the so-called micro stakes, that can bring you incredible winnings in the long run. So an average player who worked on their strategy may expect to place 15 big blinds for every 100 hands played. Also, if they spend time at online poker sites regularly playing multi-tables and turn 50000 hands a month, we can roughly expect that they will have a monthly poker income of $150.
This is how we got this number:
- 15*2c =30c
- 50000/100=500
- 30c*500=$150
This is the way to calculate possible winnings at any stake. Now let’s continue and see how the earnings increase with higher bets.
NL5 marks the stake that ranges from 2c to 5c. Even though you won’t find as many beginners or recreational players, you won’t find sharks either. If we apply the same scheme that we did before, we will get to the sum of $250 in this case. You must admit that this is not worth mentioning yet. NL5 stakes are still reserved for learning some basic poker strategies.
The stakes get gradually higher, so at NL10, big blinds range from 5c–10c. At this poker table, you are going to meet some experienced players. Consequently, you should also devise a more complex strategy. If we apply the same way of calculating the winnings, we would get $400, while a pro could even make $1000 a month.
The next in line is N25, where mandatory bets range from 10c to 25c, and this stake can offer you a considerable monthly income of $750 if you take poker playing seriously and do it regularly. If you also throw in some multi-tabling played by a seasoned pro player, this amount can get much higher.
We are slowly getting to the stakes that will get you some real money. NL50 offers a betting range of 25c to 50c, and you should apply a well-thought-out strategy at this table because you can end up with $1500 of poker winnings. This amount is what an average player would make, but a pro is expected to make much more.
The last type of stakes we are going to mention here is NL100 with the big blinds that range from 50c to $1. If you constantly play at this stake for a month, your earnings can range from $2000 to $3000. This won’t make you the next Daniel Negreanu for sure, but you will undoubtedly feel like a pro ready to try your luck at higher stakes until you become a high roller.
What Is a Rake Back?
The rake is the percentage the online casino takes from every poker game played. The rake back is a way to motivate high rollers to spend even more money at casino tables. It is a percentage of a rake returned to the player, and this can go from 10% to 50%. This rake back and many other bonuses offered on poker sites can additionally increase your poker profit by hundreds or even thousands if you are a serious player.
Conclusion
All in all, poker can be a profitable undertaking if you take it seriously. You should also invest a large portion of time in studying different game strategies and improving your poker playing skills. Just remember to be patient and start your poker playing career by playing at the lowest stakes and then slowly climb up as you gain experience. Some of the greatest players in the world followed this path, so why would you be an exception?