Hello. I play microstakes NL cash tables, (.02/.04) on the Merge network. I use Holdem Manager, and right now, with a small sample size of 2750 hands, I have a win rate of 10.4 big blinds every 100 hands. I keep seeing on different sites that your win rate is based on bb/100, and some sites say that bb stands for Big Bets, and others say Big Blinds. Both have the same idea that 5+ bb/100 hands is great. I understand that all I do to figure out Big Bets is to just cut that number in half. My question is, what is a good win rate for Big Blinds every 100 hands? Keep in mind my stakes level, and I play two tables at once. Over this sample, I have a 13% VPIP and 9% PFR. Any input would be appreciated.

Anytime you win money, it's a good thing Anyways, 2.7k hands are far too few to know your true winrate, generally 10k is a good starting point. Winrate can vary based on site/stake/time of day, so it's hard to pinpoint a "good winrate". Instead just focus on playing solid, and continually improving your winrate and moving up.

Thanks man. Also another question, am I thinking correctly when I say I need my bankroll to grow to 250.00 to move up to .05/.10 NL cash tables? That would give me 25 buy-ins.

Yes, that is correct. Also set yourself a stoploss, how much you are willing to lose before you drop back down to improve.

So OK Knight. I know this is breaking the bankroll rules...but would I be stupid with a bankroll of 80.00, (after an initial deposit of 50 on Merge) to just move up now to .05/.10? Moving up prematurely is not something I would do after that level, but man, the rake is just killing me here, and I am pretty much dominating .02/.04. I will eventually get to that 250.00, but it will take 6 damn months, lol. I used to be active on this forum with my old account here...(couldnt remember the login or email I used for it), so I want your advice because I have alot of respect for your knowledge, you helped me a while ago with a preflop chart when I first started, (If I recall, you were the guy that was posting in one of my sit n go posts, and posted a graph that was REALLY impressive, you had something like a 22% ROI over 500 sit n go's.). Moving up would allow me to actually make a difference in the MONEY aspect of my bankroll and playing, not just the bb/100 hands looking good, lol. I am going to wait and pretty much go with what you advise here. Thanks for all the help!

Yes, it would be incredibly stupid. So much stuff happens outside your control, it's insane. You need the patience, skill, and bankroll to remain at 10nl, moving up to early is very detrimental. You might be crushing now, but 2750 is short term and you don't know your true winrate, it could be higher or lower.

I have a few things I want to ask since you're talking about moving up. Are you reviewing your hand histories? Studying ways to exploit your opponents ranges and seeing what ranges you are representing based upon your play?

I'm not actually that good of a player to be honest, but I have sat and watched long enough to see the good players rise, and the bad fall (after their crazy upswings). I was playing 10nl at stars before black friday, and doing alright after losing a total of ~14bi's there. First two shots I though I was good and wasn't. Third just plain variance. Fourth I had a huge upswing, followed by a meh downswing, but I made 14bi's from bonuses so I was doing well.

Yeah, I'm a pretty damn good tournament player, having an intuitive grasp of ICM helps A LOT. I've been away from the poker world for a while though, getting a bit rusty, playing at the bar isn't challenging enough. Maybe you'll see me at merge once and a while here soon.

What was your name before?

I think it was like JeffPainter on the forums here. I kind of review my hand histories, I need a little help understanding it fully though in Holdem Manager. I use my HUD while playing, but the only thing I have displayed for players is VPIP% and PFR%.

Oh, also, my bb/100 now at about 5000 hands is 7.5/100. My VPIP% is 13, and my PFR% is 8. I have convinced my wife to allow me to deposit some more money to make my bankroll 250.00, I just have to wait til Monday to put it in. I have moved up to .05/.10 now though, because the money is going in :-) (I wont use my bank card online to a poker site, so I have to do it the slow, Western Union way, lol)