Poker %'s and how a large edge makes little difference?

I've been playing poker now for about 2 years and I'm now very very concious of how I get my money in.

A lot of the time, I find myself in a 60/40 or 70/30 type situation in my favour. Leaving aside how I find myself in these situations, that is not important - I am interested in percentages.

To me, a 20% edge seems quite significant, but it doesn't seem to be. I would say I probably win more than I lose which is as it should be, I normally have the best hand. However - the 60% player loses so often, both myself and when I watch other players, it just doesn't seem that 20% is a big edge at all.

Those are my thoughts really. Is 20% a big edge? If not, how big? 80/20? 80/20 is where I don't really sweat a bad beat, I feel happy with my hand. 70/30 and I'm sweating a bad beat.

Just feels wierd the more I play the more the %'s don't seem to balance out and feel right.

Anybody any thoughts?

80/20 is a big edge. Thats "dominating" in poker, lol.

20% still seems small but it happens fairly often still, sadly.

If you're sweating every hand you're missing the point. Get your money in good consistently and it doesn't matter how you do in the short run.

I take your point now Zach. I am winning 6 times out of 10 in the long term. But that is just a little over half, so it's not a big edge at all. When you think of it as "times in 10" instead of just a % figure, you see 60/40 is little better than heads or tails.

I prefer 10/10, but I rarely get them drawing dead :P

As long as you're beating the rake, your edge is high enough. But, the smaller your edge, the more you have to grind. Poker isn't a get-rich-quick situation; more of get-rich-slow-and-be-careful-not-to-tilt-or-it-will-be-even-slower situation.

it may not seem like your winning a lot if your winning 6/10 over the long haul, but look at it this way. how many players are losing 6/10 maybe even 5/10 on a consistent basis. it would be be fantastic if you could win 70% or 80% of your hands long term, but thats only taking into account pure math. to get a more accurate view, you have to factor in that intangible thing we call luck which can drag down even the best players and the best hands.

I've heard more than a few pros refer to 60/40 as a coin flip. So those guys obviously don't feel 20% is that big.

Probably with context though, like pot odds may make a 60/40 decision a coin flip. If you honestly know people who think it is, I will bet them any amount of money that if we do the "flip" 10,000 times that it will land on the 60% side more.

i agree with zachvac. i have been playing for about three years and i win about 7 out of 10 of those 60/40 flips. its just being consistent. you always have to be consistent.

I am fairly new to online poker, and not really sure about all the percents, but i have found it very frustrating, when i am dominating a table, it seems to go down hill rapidly, maybe just purely bad luck, but i have been loosing with a full house AAAKK to KKKKA, Pocket Aces seem to be deadly for me, I very rarely win with them, I guess what I am saying is to me the percent does not mean much to me. I simply try to play my hands the best i can. Doesn't always work, but hey, like I said I'm fairly new.

If I lost to THAT hand--K-K-K-K-A--I think I'd want to LEAVE that game!!! ESPECIALLY if I had the boat---A-A-A-K-K!!!! I mean, FIVE KINGS in one deck--SOMEBODY'S Cheatin'!!!

How you work that out? Or are you joking? Can't tell

Anyway, this situation can happen when pre-flop it is AA vs KK, and the flop comes down KKA....

If you listen to the Pros (I've heard Phil Helmuth say this a number of times), when it comes to major pots that could effect their tournament life, they are looking to get in as a 70/30 favorite or higher.

Of course all poker is situational. If you are getting desperately short in a tourney, you might be happy to be of the 40 end of a 60/40.

But in general, you should be looking for at least a 70/30 advantage to make a major stand.