When to Quit Chasing a Bonus (poker)?

[3Spirit]

OK, so with 4BB/100 and sd of 19 when is it time to stop chasing a bonus if you bust out? How many BBs?

[Ratamahatta]

The answer is: 100*4BB*log(19)/sqrt(4*19)=135BBs

[Jim14Qc]

How can you be "chasing" a bonus playing poker?

(I'm assuming you'll play elsewhere if you leave this perticular site)

I mean if you're a losing player at this site, odds are you'll be a losing player everywhere..

Only reason I can see for stopping whoring this bonus is the games are very bad quality or there's a better bonus / better games elsewhere.

[livinitup0]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, so with 4BB/100 and sd of 19 when is it time to stop chasing a bonus if you bust out? How many BBs?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd give a suggestion if I understood what you were asking a little better....but Ill give it a shot. You never stop a bonus unless a reload with a better clearance rate comes up and you have to jump on it.

GL
Richard

[gull]

Never; i.e. every BB of your net worth.

[fire_fly]

If you feel you are seriously getting outplayed and can't find any softer tables, AND you have a bunch of it left to clear, I just say [censored] it and go beat on my regulars.

[3Spirit]

The answer above uses natural log (also written ln) to arrive at 135BBs. Can anyone explain, or is this just a joke?

[3Spirit]

[ QUOTE ]
I mean if you're a losing player at this site, odds are you'll be a losing player everywhere


[/ QUOTE ]

No, that's the point of my question. Even winning players experience (sometimes prolonged) loosing streaks. Maybe if you are in losing streak whilst playing for a bonus, you should just continue as if you were playing during a losing streak anywhere else?

[3Spirit]

[ QUOTE ]
You never stop a bonus unless a reload with a better clearance rate comes up and you have to jump on it.


[/ QUOTE ]

Why?

[3Spirit]

[ QUOTE ]
Never; i.e. every BB of your net worth.

[/ QUOTE ]
ditto?

[darkcore]

[ QUOTE ]
The answer above uses natural log (also written ln) to arrive at 135BBs. Can anyone explain, or is this just a joke?

[/ QUOTE ]

no, no... it is no joke. ratamahatta answer is pretty accurate. the general formula is:

(100 * [bb/100] * log [sd])/(sqrt([bb/100] * [sd]))

but on a 3rd level: i find your question funny.

[runout_mick]

Honestly, your question makes no sense. A bonus is just that: a bonus.

If you are playing at levels over your ability to try and clear the bonus, that's just a bad idea. That's a good way to get a one-way ticket to busto.

If you are playing at your regular (proven winning) stakes, why would you want to quit and play elsewhere with no bonus incentive?

[ChexNFX]

[ QUOTE ]
Honestly, your question makes no sense. A bonus is just that: a bonus.

If you are playing at levels over your ability to try and clear the bonus, that's just a bad idea. That's a good way to get a one-way ticket to busto.

If you are playing at your regular (proven winning) stakes, why would you want to quit and play elsewhere with no bonus incentive?

[/ QUOTE ]

[Bobo Fett]

The thing that's puzzling about your question is that you are looking for a specific number of BB. That's up to you. I'll try to explain.

I play low limit, usually 1/2. I've only ever abandoned 2 bonuses. PokerShare, because I couldn't find any games...thank goodness they moved to Prima and PSO was able to let me resume my bonus, which I since completed. The other was Hollywood. I ran TERRIBLE there through my signup bonus, which I completed, and finally gave up in the middle of a good reload bonus. Perhaps I should have chalked it up to variance and kept at it, but I had plenty of other bonuses to chase, and I just wasn't enjoying myself, so I moved on.

If you're a solid player that churns out a good win rate over the long haul, then there's probably no reason to ever give up on a bonus. If it's a lump sum bonus, the clearance rate only gets better as you go further into it, so it should be harder to give up.

But if you're like many players (myself included), you may find yourself getting frustrated with a certain site and start playing undisciplined poker. Or maybe you're up against a bonus deadline that is forcing you to play too many tables, or at limits that are over your head. These might be good reasons to abandon a bonus, but there is no magical forumla...you have to decide for yourself.

Good luck!

[ChexNFX]

[ QUOTE ]
The thing that's puzzling about your question is that you are looking for a specific number of BB. That's up to you. I'll try to explain.

I play low limit, usually 1/2. I've only ever abandoned 2 bonuses. PokerShare, because I couldn't find any games...thank goodness they moved to Prima and PSO was able to let me resume my bonus, which I since completed. The other was Hollywood. I ran TERRIBLE there through my signup bonus, which I completed, and finally gave up in the middle of a good reload bonus. Perhaps I should have chalked it up to variance and kept at it, but I had plenty of other bonuses to chase, and I just wasn't enjoying myself, so I moved on.

If you're a solid player that churns out a good win rate over the long haul, then there's probably no reason to ever give up on a bonus. If it's a lump sum bonus, the clearance rate only gets better as you go further into it, so it should be harder to give up.

But if you're like many players (myself included), you may find yourself getting frustrated with a certain site and start playing undisciplined poker. Or maybe you're up against a bonus deadline that is forcing you to play too many tables, or at limits that are over your head. These might be good reasons to abandon a bonus, but there is no magical forumla...you have to decide for yourself.

Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]

These may be good reasons to abandon poker altogether.

[3Spirit]

Personlly I don't believe that you should never stop playing for a bonus. A bonus is just a bonus. But conditions vary so much between sites and times that there comes a point where if you are losing you need to be able to say "This isn't just variance, I'm beat" and take a rest whiles you study your games and try and see where you are going wrong.

Variance is so large in this game that identifying when you really are beat can be difficult. Perhaps if you have changed site (say to clear a bonus) you should be more alert to the possibility that you are beat. Many people would be cautous when they change level. It is my experience that the difference between playing at different sites at the same level can be (at least) as significant as the difference between levels at the same site. So my orginal question could be formulated without mentioning bonus at all in terms of moving up limits, or trying out new sites.

[Ratamahatta]

[ QUOTE ]
The answer above uses natural log (also written ln) to arrive at 135BBs. Can anyone explain, or is this just a joke?

[/ QUOTE ]

That was a joke. I think your question wasn't specific enough, hence the answer. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[runout_mick]

[ QUOTE ]
Personlly I don't believe that you should never stop playing for a bonus. A bonus is just a bonus. But conditions vary so much between sites and times that there comes a point where if you are losing you need to be able to say "This isn't just variance, I'm beat" and take a rest whiles you study your games and try and see where you are going wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

No offense, but you may want to think about studying the game and moving down to micro microlimits for awhile before you think about any more bonuses.