I was updating my monthly tracking sheets last night and I'm still trying to get a handle on my game: am I getting better or worse? Part of the fun for me is tracking my sessions. I log the time, place, wins, losses, winning rate per hour, etc. on a spreadsheet.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is a legitimate way to track my progress as a player in this game. The amount of money I win and add to my bankroll is not a very accurate judge of my skill. One lucky tournament, one big cash payoff, and my numbers are all skewed. If I track my cash game wins only, this too can be deceiving in the short term. I suppose if I can look back over a five year period and show that I've made money each of those years, that would be an indication I am playing well. But even the best of professionals have off years. Does having an "off year" mean I am less skillful, less of a player?

If earnings are not an accurate guage, then what is? The best I can come up with is an hourly win rate. At least if I track my win rate per hour over time it will be analogous to having a regular paying job. For example, if I can check my win rate per hour during a month and see how it compares to a regular job's salary, then maybe I can judge how I'm doing as a player. If I'm losing money each hour, then what I have is a hobby. I'm being entertained, but it's costing me money. If I begin to make money each hour consistently over time, however, then my hobby is beginning to pay off and it may become a source of regular income.

Is earning a regular income from playing poker a sign of my skill? I suppose it is, especially if I can show I've earned money consistently over a long period of time. And the key phrase here is "over a long period of time." It's not particularly relevant to track my win rate per hour for a month and convince myself I am making money. More than likely, the next month I will lose money. It seems to me a year's time is the minimum requirement. I need to track my hourly win rate for a solid year, then see where I am.

Another idea: log 1,000 hours of playing time, then check my win rate per hour. I heard a professional say that a cash game player needs to put in at least 3,000 hours of play before they can judge their skill level. That seems reasonable. Poker is a game, a gamble, with edges and variances that play themselves out over time. Thousands of hours need to be tracked before these variances begin to reveal themselves. This is one reason online players develop their skill far quicker than live game players. An online player will play many more hands per hour, and will also play more hours per day, than live game players. Online poker is live poker on steroids.

So, I guess what I'm suggesting is that:

1. I consider the long term, not the short term, when I'm tracking my progress as a player,
2. I track my win rate per hour, over time, and look for signs of improvement
3. I set a goal to play 1,000 hours at the felt before I assess my skill level and try to determine how well I'm doing.

So far this year, with two months remaining, I've played 510 hours. I suppose this is why I'm a little frustrated in defining my skill level as a player: I've just not played enough to determine where I am as a player.