Return on Investment (ROI) is the standard metric for measuring tournament poker profitability. It tells you how much profit you make relative to what you invest. An ROI of 20% means for every $100 in buy-ins, you profit $20 on average.
Expected ROI by Skill Level:- Recreational players: -20% to -5% ROI
- Break-even players: -5% to +5% ROI
- Winning regulars: +5% to +20% ROI
- Strong professionals: +20% to +50% ROI
- Elite players (small fields): +50% to +100%+ ROI
Why sample size matters: Tournament poker has extreme variance. A recreational player can run hot and show 100% ROI over 50 tournaments, while a professional might run badly and show negative ROI over the same stretch. You need at least 500 tournaments at similar stakes before your ROI becomes statistically meaningful. Even then, confidence intervals are wide.
Typical ITM percentages: In standard multi-table tournaments, the top 10-15% of the field gets paid. A solid winning player will cash around 15-20% of the time. Higher ITM rates are possible in smaller fields or turbos, but the key metric is ROI, not just cashing frequency -- one deep run can offset dozens of min-cashes.
Note: Hourly rate estimates assume an average tournament duration of 2 hours. Actual duration varies significantly based on tournament structure, field size, and how deep you run.
