95% of players are losers?

[thetank]

I remeber reading about poker back in 2003/2004 and the books told you that 95% of poker players were long term losers.
These books were written primarily based on the live poker game.

Four or five years later, I am still seeing this statistic being quoted here and there.

Given that the game has changed so much in the last five years, the game is easy to take up from the comfort of your own home, players have instant access to a wealth of advice and helpful software, as well as less rake (and rake-back) helping a players bottom line.
Do you think the 95% is still accurate.

If not, does anyone have any insight as to what the figure might be today.?

[77dave]

Im a loser



but i make a nice profit playing poker


in fact im a total degenerate

[DaveShoelace]

My understanding was that 15% of poker players today were winners, with 1% being massive winners (dunno what the definition of massive is btw). I think the 5% is from, as you say, the live days.

[sovietsong]

Im a loser



but i make a nice profit playing poker


in fact im a total degenerate

+1 excluding the winning at poker bit

[MC]

I dunno this could be accurate

I know the owner of a skin on Boss told me once 95% of players on that site were unprofitable...

[AndrewT]

Fewer big winners these days - that money ihas been redistributed so there are more small winners.

Very very few game crushers on the internet now.

[thetank]

If 95% of players are losers still, I can believe that.

A good deal of them might just be of the type to deposit a tenner, have a casual punt in their pyjamas, then decide that online poker isn't for them.

I wonder what % of people who play online at least four times a month are long term losers? I'm pretty sure that number would be less than 95%.

[thetank]

My understanding was that 15% of poker players today were winners, with 1% being massive winners.

Do you know where this comes from?

[LLevan]

IMO at least 95% are losers, the online industry is huge and there are many skins/sites taking a hell of a lot of money out of the games and personally I wouldn't be in the slightest bit shocked if the actual figure was nearer 99%. Recreational players deposit maybe £50 per month and month after month they find themselves redepositing. They treat it as a hobby and as such £50 per month is not a huge expense however as the credit crunch/recession deepens these recreational players will slowly cut back on their deposits and the online grinders will find it harder to earn a living out of the game.

[ItsMrAlex2u]

If 95% of players are losers still, I can believe that.

A good deal of them might just be of the type to deposit a tenner, have a casual punt in their pyjamas, then decide that online poker isn't for them.

I wonder what % of people who play online at least four times a month are long term losers? I'm pretty sure that number would be less than 95%.

I think the 95 still applies and if anything it may have gone up.
As you say, a lot will be made up of the occasional depositor of which there are hundreds of thousands, and even the player that plays once a week, most will be losers. If they were winning they would play more. These will be hobby players who enjoy the odd tournament or cash game. Most of them losers.

The only winning players (with the odd exception) will be those who commit serious time to the game. There are still loads of those but only a few will win. Most will just deposit and lose on a large scale.

Liberace (2nd in wcoop main event) is a perfect example. Look at his stats and before last night he was a regular tourny player at high buy in level and was $50k down over the last year or so.

The game has got tougher since the USA law change and I agree with the comment that there are VERY few players really coining it in. Maybe 0.5% if that. 2 or 3 % will be making good money ranging from enough to live on to just a bit of pocket money.

[bhoywonder]

Tank,with the deepening credit crunch.do you not think that every player will be long term losers.just not enough dead money around to make a living from?discuss

[ItsMrAlex2u]

Think of the Blonde community. A crowd that have more than a passing interest in the game thats for sure. Whats your best estimate of winning player % of Blondes?

I wouldnt even like to hazard a guess. It will obviously be higher than the norm % but it wont be all that high.

[TheChipPrince]

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=27163.0

[Graham C]

lol at ckingusc.  Won 1.7m last night and is still playing mtt's today!  

[bhoywonder]

Im just glad i don,t rely on poker for a living.apart from the fact i am gash,times they be hard.tank are you eating candles yet.this can be a sign.