SESSION TRACKING
How to track live poker sessions
Record the money, the playing time and enough context to understand the session later. A large cash-out is only one part of the result.
Get the free session templateStart with a short checklist.
A notebook or spreadsheet works. The GoodRun session template has CSV and Excel downloads, plus a Google Sheets copy guide. Delete its fictional example rows before you use it.
- When and where: date, start and end times, venue, game, stakes and currency.
- Money in: first buy-in and the total money added in rebuys, separately.
- Money out: the actual cash-out, including zero when you leave with nothing.
- Time: time playing and time on breaks.
- Costs and context: tips, other expenses and a short note worth reviewing.
Keep one currency per session. A bankroll deposit or withdrawal moves money into or out of the poker roll; it is not a session win or loss.
One fictional cash session.
You play USD 1/2 from 18:00 to 23:00, with a 30-minute break. You buy in for USD 400, add USD 200, cash out USD 760 and pay USD 10 in tips from your pocket.
| Total bought in | 400 + 200 = 600 |
|---|---|
| Net result | 760 − 400 − 200 − 10 = $150 |
| Playing time | 5 hours − 0.5 hours = 4.5 hours |
| Session hourly | 150 ÷ 4.5 ≈ $33.33/hour |
The template’s result definition is cash-out minus first buy-in, rebuy money and expenses. Rebuys are money already put into the game, not a second loss to subtract afterward.
Count each cost once.
The USD 10 above came from your pocket, so it is a separate expense. If instead it came out of the chips before cashing out, the actual cash-out would be USD 750. With no additional expense deduction, the result is still $150.
Subtracting the same tip again would understate your result. The same care applies to a timed fee paid from chips. Ordinary pot rake is already reflected in the chips you eventually cash out; do not subtract an estimated rake bill again from that net result.
Keep travel or other off-table costs separate if you track them. Decide which costs your hourly includes, and use that definition consistently.
Divide total result by total playing time.
Suppose a second fictional session lasts 2 playing hours and loses USD 30. Together, the two sessions earn USD 120 in 6.5 hours:
Aggregate hourly = total net result ÷ total playing hours
120 ÷ 6.5 ≈ $18.46/hour.
A simple average of the two session hourlies gives the short session the same weight as the long one. Use the totals instead. Keep losses and short sessions in the record too.
Keep breaks visible in a spreadsheet.
The supplied template has start/end columns but no dedicated breaks column. Note the 30-minute break in Notes and subtract it when calculating playing hours separately. GoodRun’s CSV importer does not turn that note into recorded break time.
To bring the sheet into GoodRun later, export the Sessions tab as CSV and check its column mapping and preview. GoodRun reads CSV rather than the Excel workbook itself. The template guide shows the exact mapping.
An optional app workflow.
In the shipped GoodRun 0.9.14 workflow, start a cash session with its stakes, currency and buy-in. Record rebuys and expenses, use Break while away from the table, and enter the cash-out when you end the session.
Record hand opens quick capture for cards, position and a note. Save it as unfinished, then complete it later in the visual recorder. These are the released controls shown in the 0.9.14 screenshots and release notes.
GoodRun works offline without an account. If that workflow suits you, see the Android test status; the spreadsheet remains useful on its own.
Sources and checks
The worked sessions and model inputs are illustrations. Example arithmetic is checked against the shipped tools. Room schedules, where used, have their own check date.