Poker Hourly Rate Calculator

Calculate poker hourly rate from BB/100, stake size, hands per hour, table count, rakeback, and bonuses.

Poker hourly rate calculator quick answer

Poker hourly rate is estimated by converting BB/100 into dollars, multiplying by hands played per hour, then adding rakeback and bonuses. A 5 BB/100 winner at NL50 earns $2.50 per 100 hands, or $12.50 per hour at 500 hands per hour before rewards.

Base hourly rate = BB/100 x big blind value x hands per hour / 100.
Monthly poker income = hourly rate x planned hours per month.
More tables increase hands per hour, but most players lose some BB/100 with each extra table.
Rakeback should be added after table profit because it depends on volume and room rewards.

Stakes

Winrate (BB/100)

Number of Tables

Hands/Hour/Table

Rakeback %

Monthly Bonus ($)

Hours/Month

BB = $0.10

Hands/hr: 300

Hourly Rate Breakdown

Table Winnings

$1.50

per hour

Rakeback

$3.15

30% of $10.50/hr rake

Bonuses

$0.00

$0/mo over 80 hrs

Total Hourly

$4.65

all sources combined

Projections

Period	Table Winnings	Rakeback	Bonuses	Total
Hourly	$1.50	$3.15	$0.00	$4.65
Monthly	$120	$252	$0	$372
Annual	$1,440	$3,024	$0	$4,464

With 30% rakeback, you earn $3.15/hr extra. That is a +210.0% boost to your total earnings compared to playing without rakeback.

Per-Table Marginal Value

Estimated hourly rate at different table counts, assuming winrate decreases by 0.5 BB/100 per additional table (a common rule of thumb).

Tables	Adj. Winrate	Total $/hr	Marginal Value
1	5.0 BB/100	$1.16	-
2	4.5 BB/100	$2.25	+$1.09
3	4.0 BB/100	$3.26	+$1.01
4Current	3.5 BB/100	$4.20	+$0.9375
5	3.0 BB/100	$5.06	+$0.8625
6	2.5 BB/100	$5.85	+$0.7875
7	2.0 BB/100	$6.56	+$0.7125
8Optimal	1.5 BB/100	$7.20	+$0.6375

Multi-Tabling and Hourly Rate

Your effective hourly rate at online poker depends on more than just your winrate. Multi-tabling, rakeback, and bonus promotions all contribute to your bottom line. Understanding how these factors interact helps you make better decisions about your playing setup.

How multi-tabling affects winrate: Adding more tables increases your total hands per hour but typically decreases your per-table winrate. Each additional table demands more attention, leading to more automatic decisions and fewer exploitative plays. Most players see a winrate decrease of 0.3-1.0 BB/100 per additional table.

Diminishing returns: There is an optimal number of tables where your total hourly rate is maximized. Beyond that point, the winrate decrease per table outpaces the volume gain. For most players, this sweet spot is between 4 and 8 tables depending on stakes, game type, and experience level.

Rakeback amplifies volume: Rakeback is proportional to the amount of rake you generate, which increases linearly with tables. This means rakeback effectively subsidizes multi-tabling by partially offsetting the winrate decrease. At high rakeback percentages (40%+), it can be profitable to play more tables than your winrate alone would justify.

Note: This calculator uses a simplified model. Actual results depend on your specific game, opponents, and playing style. The winrate degradation per table is an estimate and varies between players.

The table count question is really an hourly rate question

Most poker players talk about hourly rate only after a good session. That is backwards. Your hourly rate should decide what you play, how many tables you open, and whether a rakeback-heavy room is worth the softer or tougher games.

The formula is simple enough: BB/100 times the big blind value, times hands per hour, divided by 100. A 4 BB/100 winner at NL100 makes $4 per 100 hands. At 300 hands per hour, that is $12 per hour. At 800 hands per hour, it is $32 per hour, assuming the win rate holds. That last part is where the calculator matters, because the win rate usually does not hold perfectly as tables increase.

The best table count is not the highest table count you can physically manage. It is the point where extra volume still beats the quality drop. Some players make more money on four tables than eight because they catch more thin value bets, avoid more bad calls, and notice table selection faster. Others can grind twelve simple tables because their decisions are drilled and the games are soft enough.

Rakeback changes the calculation but should not rescue a bad game. Add it as a separate line. If your table result is negative and rakeback makes the total positive, you are running a volume business, not beating the game. That can still work for some grinders, but it is fragile when rewards change or the player pool gets tougher.

Use the monthly and yearly numbers as a planning tool, not as a promise. Poker income is uneven. A clean hourly estimate helps you compare rooms and table counts, but variance still decides when the money arrives.

Hourly Rate questions

How do you calculate poker hourly rate?

Convert your BB/100 win rate into dollars per 100 hands, divide by 100, then multiply by hands played per hour. If you win 5 BB/100 at a $0.50 big blind and play 500 hands per hour, your table profit is $12.50 per hour before rakeback.

Does multi-tabling always increase hourly rate?

No. Multi-tabling helps only while the extra volume is larger than the win-rate drop. If a fourth or fifth table causes too many rushed decisions, your total hourly rate can flatten or fall.

Should rakeback be included in poker income?

Yes, if the rewards are reliable and paid in usable cash, tournament tickets, or crypto. Keep rakeback separate from table winnings so you can see whether the game itself is profitable.

What sample size is enough for an hourly rate estimate?

Use at least 50,000 hands for a rough cash-game estimate and 100,000 hands or more before treating the number as stable. Short samples can make a losing setup look profitable or hide a good one during a downswing.

Poker Hourly Rate Calculator