by Cactus Jack » Mon Feb 20, 2006 4:37 am
What's good for me might not be good for you. Head's up has a lot more variance than full tables. Also, the level of buyin has an effect. Generally, it's considered good above 30% at the lowest buyins, and it goes down as the $ go up. 68 is a good start, but playing more will give you more consistency with less variances. However, also remember, that as you play more, your results should also improve as you should be getting better, too. If your results flatten out too much, it may be a sign of some leaks in your game. (Trust me, everyone has them.)
Better to look at your In The Money %. You should have a fairly even number regardless of buyin. The number should go up from when you start, level off at whatever your ability, slip when you move up, improve, then level off again. 40-50% ITM should make you a lot of money.
Then, keep an eye on your placing %. This shows pretty well where your game is at. A high percentage of 4ths says one thing, 3rds and 2nds something else. I like it when my % of 1st and 3rd is higher than my % of seconds. That means I'm playing to win, rather than playing to not lose. Where you can see how much a small sample size impacts your numbers is 1st and 2nds, as heads up play is much more luck-dependent than any other area in tournament play.
But, I'm no expert in this area. Frankly, I don't keep an eye on my stats as much as I should. I have concentrated a lot more on my play in each tournament. I figure if I'm playing as well as I can, the percentages will take care of themselves. That said, I'd like to hear what others think about this subject, because I may be missing out on information that might help improve my game.
CJ
"Are the players better as the stakes go up? It's not an exam; it's a buyin." Barry Tanenbaum