I play GPPs almost exclusively; the life of a GPPer is not easy. Sometimes it feels like I just can’t catch a break, or that I am not even close and wasting my money. “After all, I played 5 (or 10, or 20) lineups!” the thinking goes, “and not even one cashed!”

But thinking critically will help me get back on the horse; maybe some of you feel the same way and need the same kick in the pants.

Note: GPPs do not offer the best ROI for most people; if you are not comfortable losing often and a lot, then rethinking your approach is a GOOD thing and don’t be swayed into uncomfortable betting situations by some random a-hole on the net.

Know what a win is

If you are excited about your $1 entry earning you $1.33, you are playing the wrong game type. A win in GPPs should be a top 0.1% finish, and nothing less. All the money and profit exits at that level, and anything short of that is well…falling short of your goal. Think long and hard about your expectations and strategy if you often find yourself cashing GPP lineups and thinking that’s a win.

You will lose; often.

Using a $1 GPP with a $100 first prize as an example, if you lose 89/100 lineups but win the $100 first prize on your 90th play, you are in the positive. Cash games you win about half the time; GPPs you’ll hit top10 rarely, but cash far less often than in other game types because of the “boom or bust” nature of the strategy you might have to deploy to win it.

Align your goals and strategies

In my opinion, to profit long term from Gps, you have get top 10 finishes at such a rate that it will exceed the ROI from playing cash games; or, play in a large enough field to win life changing cash (e.g. milly makers). A contrarian stack will strike out, by definition, most of the time. This is why we do it, and this is why it has the potential to pay off with a big win.

Take a break

It’s tough to stay positive when you lose as often as you will; taking a night or two off can help you re-asses and determine if your strategy will pay off.

Single Entry GPPs

These fill up fast (so fast that some users don’t know they exist) so reserve your spots early; the benefit to single entry GPPs is you don’t have to battle with 20 or 50+ lineup sharks. If you are not entering multiple lineups, you should be playing single entries as often as possible.