Tournament ROI and ITM: measuring your tournament results

Tournament results swing wildly, so players use two simple numbers to track progress: ROI and ITM.

ROI — return on investment

ROI = (total winnings − total buy-ins) ÷ total buy-ins × 100%

Example: you played 200 tournaments at $5 ($1,000 in buy-ins) and won $1,150 in total. Profit is $150, so ROI = 150 ÷ 1,000 = 15%.

A positive ROI means you’re winning over that sample.
Include all fees in your buy-ins.

ITM — in the money

ITM% = tournaments where you cashed ÷ tournaments played × 100%

Many tournaments pay roughly 10–20% of the field, so ITM numbers in that area are common. A high ITM with a low ROI often means you min-cash a lot but rarely go deep — see final table and bubble play.

Sample size matters a lot

Tournament ROI is very noisy. A few hundred tournaments can show a big ROI just from one deep run — or a negative one despite good play. Track hundreds to thousands of tournaments before drawing firm conclusions. See poker variance.

How to use these numbers

Track by format and buy-in: turbos, PKOs, regular speed. See tracking results.
Compare ROI against your bankroll needs before moving up. See moving up stakes.
Focus on decisions, not short-term numbers.

See also win rate for cash games and tournament schedule.

FAQ

What is ROI in poker tournaments?

Profit divided by total buy-ins, shown as a percentage.

What does ITM mean in poker?

In the money: the percentage of tournaments where you won a prize.

How many tournaments do I need to judge my ROI?

Hundreds to thousands; tournament results are very noisy.

What does a high ITM but low ROI mean?

Often that you min-cash a lot but rarely make deep runs.