ITM in poker stands for 'in the money' and refers to players in line for a cash prize since they have successfully passed the bubble.
ITM is also a statistic in percentage form that records how often a player makes it to the prize board when entering a poker tournament.
In this guide we’ll learn the following -
What Should our ITM % be for Poker Tournaments?
Although 15-20% is a commonly cited figure, the truth is that it entirely depends on the type of tournaments we are playing along with the number of entries. For example, if we had 20% ITM when playing heads up sit and goes we would clearly be losing overall. The ITM percentage also doesn’t tell us the average size of our payouts so ROI (return on investment) is still a more useful metric for tournament players.
At What Point Are Tournament Players Considered ITM?
As soon as the tournament bubble breaks any survivors are considered as being ITM (in the money). Sometimes a player might describe themselves as being ‘in the money’ some time before the bubble if their current tournament position is one which is paid, but there is of course no guarantee of receiving any payout until after the bubble has passed.
How Useful is ITM % for Poker Tournament Players?
While ITM % may give a rough indication of how successful a tournament player is, the ideal value of ITM % is heavily dependent on the type of event being played along with its payout structure. Also, the ITM % does not take into account the average size of the payouts being won, so ROI % (return on investment) is generally still considered a better indicator of how successful a tournament player is.
Summary
ITM simply stands for ‘in the money’ and indicates that a player is in line for a tournament prize since they have successfully passed the tournament bubble. ITM is also used as a percentage which describes how often a player makes it ‘into the money’ when playing poker tournaments. Why not check out this 888poker guide on how to play well on the bubble in poker tournaments?
