It certainly has been a very strange while trying to play poker over the past 12 months. Hopefully things will return to the "somewhat" normal in the not too distant future. The current "normal" has been playing at tables with plexiglass, wearing masks, more limited eating options including no food at the tables, and participating in games where full ring used to be 9 players but now games with as few as 5 players are not common. In addition, my local and much more convenient and closer poker room has still yet to reopen. That said, I am still very happy for the opportunity to play regularly, and that the earlier year-2020 rumors that my "home" poker room might close permanently have so far not come true.
Here are my results for the year 2020, which were impacted by having fewer playing sessions AND perhaps more significantly, playing in tougher 1/3 NL games in large venues (vs. 1/2 NL):
Venue Visits = 126
Hours Played = 997
Session Results =
-$1710
Hourly Rate =
- $1.72
Not included in the above are promotional winnings (e.g. High Hand) of $2315, which are due almost entirely by luck, but one's odds are at least improved some by the more hours one plays.
To the casual observer it might appear that (exclusive of expenses like gas) I ended up with more money in my pocket now that when I started ($2315 - $1710 = $605). In reality, I have about $800 less due to the customary and expected tips given to dealers for winning hands. (Dealer tips are simply part of one's winnings which were given away.).
I am continuing to study and work on my game, but only time will tell if I can be successful at 1/3 NL in the bigger city environment or whether I have reached my skill level max. It is entirely possible too that my success at 1/2 NL over the past two years has been due mainly to favorable variance (vs. skill), along with benefit of a weaker player pool at a small playing venue.
My 2021 poker activity likely starts tomorrow.
