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Win rate, and especially the bb/100 metric, can seem confusing—particularly if you’re used to playing live poker, where your performance is often tracked in hours rather than hands. In simple terms, bb/100 in poker refers to the number of big blinds won per 100 hands in online games. This metric helps evaluate your profitability and estimate your hourly earnings in cash games. In this article, we’ll explain how to use bb/100 to analyze your online poker results and what values are considered decent.
What Is bb/100?
bb/100 is a poker term that describes a player’s average win rate over 100 hands, expressed in the number of big blinds won. It’s most commonly used by cash game players. For example, if someone says, “My win rate at online NL50 is 5bb/100,” it means they win an average of 5 big blinds per 100 hands. In monetary terms, that’s $2.50 per 100 hands in that game.
In poker, bb/100 is the best metric for assessing success in cash games. In tournaments, players typically use ROI (return on investment) instead. However, for bb/100 to be meaningful, it needs to be calculated over a large sample of hands—thousands, to be honest. The bigger the sample, the more reliable the result. Only then can a player truly see his bb/100 win rate.
If someone has a 10bb/100 win rate over 400 hands, it doesn’t mean much because the sample is too small. But if their bb/100 is 4bb/100 over 500,000 hands, that’s a far more accurate indicator of their true win rate—one they can rely on.
In the past, some trackers used a different metric—BB/100 (Big Bets per 100), which originated in limit hold’em. A Big Bet equals two big blinds, so the same win rate in that format would be 5 BB/100. Don’t confuse this with BB/100, where winnings are measured in big bets (two big blinds). While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they’re actually different. That said, today almost everyone uses bb/100, so you don’t need to worry about the older format.
Variance and Win Rate in Poker
The biggest challenge when analyzing bb/100 in poker is variance. Any experienced player knows that 100 hands isn’t enough to draw conclusions about their win rate. In the next 100 hands, you’re just as likely to lose that $20 back or win an additional $50. Short-term luck plays a massive role, and results over small samples are nearly impossible to control.
This is why many pros, myself included, believe you need to play at least 100,000 hands to objectively evaluate your win rate. Yes, one hundred thousand. But here’s the catch: 100k hands is a huge number. In live poker, it could take years to reach that, and even online, it might take months.
In practice, though, 20-30k hands can already give you a decent idea of your bb/100. Sure, you might hit an upswing or downswing that skews the results, but your win rate over that distance is likely to be reasonably accurate.
Average Win Rate
Win rate is an average measured over the long term. If your win rate is 7 bb/100 in a cash game, it doesn’t mean you’ll win exactly 7 big blinds every 100 hands. In the short term, variance can cause wild swings—sometimes you’ll win more, sometimes less. Over time, however, your win rate will stabilize and trend toward that average value.
To calculate your win rate, it’s best to use automated trackers like PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager, or DriveHUD. You can also track it manually in Excel or with a calculator.
For an accurate win rate assessment, you need a sufficient sample size. How big should that sample be? There’s no exact answer, but the poker community generally agrees that around 100,000 hands are needed for a precise evaluation. For players with lower daily volume—like amateurs—50,000 hands can still be a solid starting point.
What Win Rate Is Considered Good?
So, what’s a good win rate? In general, any win rate above 0 bb/100 in a cash game is considered good. Why? Because if your win rate is positive, you’re making money over the long term, while most players lose. Here are some rough benchmarks for win rates at micro-stakes:
- 1-4 bb/100 — decent;
- 5-9 bb/100 — good;
- 10+ bb/100 — you’re absolutely crushing the game.
However, as you move up to higher stakes, the games get tougher. You’ll face more skilled opponents, and the margin for exploiting weaker players’ mistakes—like those common at micro-stakes—shrinks significantly. The higher the stakes, the less likely opponents will make costly errors or simply hand over their money as beginners might. As a result, your win rate will likely decrease as you climb the stakes.
Based on online data, here are average win rates for players multi-tabling (1-8 tables) from 2NL to 100NL:
- NL2: 10bb/100;
- NL5: 6bb/100;
- NL10: 4bb/100;
- NL25: 3bb/100;
- NL50: 2bb/100;
- NL100: 2bb/100.
Don’t fixate on short-term results or stress about your win rate every session. Focus on your game and track your win rate over the long haul. Once you’ve played 50-100k hands, you’ll have a clear picture of your true win rate. And remember: any positive win rate (above 0 bb/100) is a success because it means you’re playing poker profitably!
What bb/100 Should You Aim For?
Everyone has their own opinion on what constitutes a good bb/100 in cash games. I’m often asked this question, and I’ve even written a separate article on what makes a good poker win rate.
The problem is there are too many variables, including:
- The stakes you’re playing;
- Your current skill level;
- The skill level of your opponents;
- The rake size;
- And more.
Because of this, it’s impossible to pinpoint a specific number to aim for. But here’s the key takeaway: if your bb/100 is positive, you’re already succeeding. About 75% of poker players lose money over the long term, so if your win rate is above zero, you’re outperforming the majority.
Of course, you should always strive for the highest possible bb/100, but many players get too caught up in their win rate and start comparing themselves to others. That’s pointless. The best thing you can do is focus on improving your game—both at the tables and away from them. That’s the only way to achieve consistent win rate growth.
How Hand Analysis with HisHands Helps Track and Improve bb/100
If you want to significantly boost your win rate and track your bb/100 more accurately, it’s not enough to just play—you need to analyze your hands. This is where HisHands comes in—a powerful hand history mining tool for in-depth poker session analysis. With it, you can get detailed reports on every hand played by your opponents (tied to their poker room usernames), identify their mistakes, and adjust your strategy to maximize profits.
Using HisHands’ data mining capabilities can improve your bb/100 by letting you target specific areas of your game that need improvement. HisHands provides clear graphs and tables that show how your decisions in different situations impact your bottom line. It’s not just a bunch of numbers and dry poker ranges—it’s a practical way to increase your win rate and achieve consistent success at online tables.
For even better results, check out the Statname service too. This platform offers access to precise poker stats, empowering every player to make solid steps toward improvement. With a database of 7 million usernames and around 4.5 billion hands from top poker rooms, Statname makes tracking your progress transparent and straightforward. Start using Statname and HisHands today to refine your game and watch your bb/100 in cash games grow day by day.
Final Thoughts
In online poker, win rate is typically expressed as bb/100—the number of big blinds won per 100 hands. Occasionally, you’ll see BB/100, where BB refers to a big bet in limit hold’em (equal to two big blinds). Essentially, it’s just a measure of how many big blinds you win per 100 hands. But since poker is a long-term game, your win rate only starts reflecting your true skill level after tens of thousands of hands.
That said, don’t obsess over this stat or compare yourself to others. Too many factors in poker can temporarily affect your win rate. The best approach is to focus on what you can control:
- Making quality decisions at the table;
- Choosing the right games;
- Working on your mental game.
If you prioritize these aspects, a solid bb/100 in poker will follow naturally.
