How Many Hands Are Played Per Hour in Live Poker Games?

One of the biggest influences on an hourly rate for poker earnings is the number of hands played per hour.

This number drastically varies in live games compared to online play. In fact, one of the biggest advantages to playing online is the ability to play many more hands per hour. Multi-tabling, playing short-handed (6-max) games, and access to fast-fold poker games can make this number even greater.

Let’s take a look at some general numbers and determine how many hands per hour you can expect to play across various poker formats. These numbers assume that the game being played is No Limit Texas Hold’em.

Live Poker

A typical live poker game will deal 25-30 per hour. This is assuming the game is a nine-handed, full ring game.

This number will go up when a table is short handed for any length of time. Players in general have more time to make decisions in a live game, without the time bank clock used in almost all online poker formats.

Physically dealing cards, sorting chips and calling the floor over to settle disputes are all factors that aren’t encountered in an online game, leading to less hands per hour in a live game.

Online Poker

Six-Max (Normal Speed) – A typical online six-max poker cash game will yield anywhere from 75-100 hands per hour, per table. This number can be driven up dramatically by playing multiple tables.

Full-Ring – A full-ring, nine-handed online No Limit Hold’em game will yield 60-80 hands per hour, and that number will go up at times when the table has less than nine players.

Fast Fold (PokerStars Zoom, partypoker fastforward, Ignition Zone) – Fast fold games are the way to maximize the number of hands played per hour. A typical table of fast fold online poker will yield 200-250 hands per hour. Playing more than one table gets the number of hands per hour up to numbers that can’t really be achieved in any other format.

Also read:

6 Reasons Why Live Poker is Easier Than Online Poker (That Might Be Holding You Back)