Profit and Staying in Profit

[ItalianFX]

What do you guys do after you get into profit to ensure that you don't lose your profit again by taking too many risks?

When I'm at a table and I'm up about 5BB or so (Fixed Limit), I will (keyword: sometimes) start taking more risks at straight/flush draws.

What do you do to stay focused, consistent, and make profits on top of profits.

I believe I am a winning player, but my profits come at small increments.

[KingNeo]

When you are truly a winning player you do not concern yourself with maintaing a winning session.

The only thing you should be focusing on is playing your absolutely best game, your A game.

Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.

[esad]

This is a very common problem. Once you are up, it starts to feel like the money you've won is free money and you start getting off your game. Here's one way to combat this:


- Buy in at $100NL (or whatever you're playing at)
- Once you are up 5-10BB then quit the table
- Take a 5-15 minute break
- Buy in at another $100NL
- Repeat

This gets around the stumbling block of being aware how much you are up. Nice little way to fool your mind into not realizing that you are up.

But, you really need to work on playing the same regardless of what your stack is. Put a list of rules to follow and constantly remind yourself to always play the same regardless of how much you are up for the session. Work on this while you try this little trick.

[ItalianFX]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a very common problem. Once you are up, it starts to feel like the money you've won is free money and you start getting off your game. Here's one way to combat this:


- Buy in at $100NL (or whatever you're playing at)
- Once you are up 5-10BB then quit the table
- Take a 5-15 minute break
- Buy in at another $100NL
- Repeat

This gets around the stumbling block of being aware how much you are up. Nice little way to fool your mind into not realizing that you are up.

But, you really need to work on playing the same regardless of what your stack is. Put a list of rules to follow and constantly remind yourself to always play the same regardless of how much you are up for the session. Work on this while you try this little trick.

[/ QUOTE ]

I play Fixed Limit, so 100NL is a little out of my league, but this would work the same in Limit as it would in No Limit.

I am working on trying to be consistent and not thinking that it is "free money."

I also created a blog with a daily goal leading to a weekly, monthly, and up to a year-long goal. Right now I am working at playing $30/day, so you can do the math and figure out where I will end up if nothing changes. After Day 1, I am already ahead of schedule! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[_TKO_]

You need to play the same whether you are up or down. I will repeat this because it is so important. You need to play the same whether you are up are down! The real question you want to be asking is how to dissociate yourself from your short-term results.

a) Buy in 1.2BB every few hands. You will no longer be able to easily determine how much you are up or down. Vary the amount every time for a better effect.
b) Get TiltBlocker.
c) Get PokerTracker and the PokerTracker Guide.
d) Concentrate on your PLAY, not your results.

But first, you need to accept that you need to do this.

[ItalianFX]

[ QUOTE ]

a) Buy in 1.2BB every few hands. You will no longer be able to easily determine how much you are up or down. Vary the amount every time for a better effect.
b) Get TiltBlocker. I personally do not like that, but I have the post-it notes program that would work the same.
c) Get PokerTracker and the PokerTracker Guide. I have Pokertracker along with the PAHUD.
d) Concentrate on your PLAY, not your results. I have decided to do this right. If you want to read about it, here is the thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=4343732&an=0&page=0&gone w=1#UNREAD).

But first, you need to accept that you need to do this. I agree and am taking the steps to start off on the right foot.

[/ QUOTE ]

[_TKO_]

Italian: good work so far. Avoid concentrating on small sample sizes. Good luck, though.

[andyexpat]

I agree the KingNeo, you have to look at the bigger picture. I am guilty of playing shorter sessions, just to maintain my winning streak, and am actually losing a lot of money, because the games were worth a lot more of my time. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif