When do you guys get up from a LIVE cash game?

[Papi Shasho]

The few times I've gone to the casino to play cash games, I sit in a 1/2 NL table, and sit with $100. I get it up to about $150, but I keep playing and eventually lose it to set over set or something similar.

Do you guys have a specific way of knowing when you should get up? I feel like I stay too long, but I feel like if I don't at least double up, I haven't done much. Is 1.5x your buyin a decent session?

I know they say you shouldn't get up until you feel you're not playing optimal poker, but would you guys get up after you get up to something like 1.5x your buyin? Do you get up, keep the profit, and sit at another table with $100 again?

I never feel like I did anything when I'm up to 150 or so, but then I think about it, and $50 after an hour or so doesn't seem bad.

[TheBad]

Dont´t play 1/2 for profit, play for fun. Stay as long as you have fun.

[CheckCheckCheck]

Take Doyle's advice in SS. Stay in the game as long as you feel you have a positive expectation from it. If you feel that staying in the game will only lose you money, then leave. If you feel that you're a good player at the table and you're just running a little bad atm, then stay in.

[LiveInPeace]

Forget the amount of money won/lost in one session! It's totally irrelevant to long run results.

Remember Brad's acronym when deciding whether to play or continue - FEAR.

1) Try to find [F]ish, loose players, players liable to tilt, players who don't understand the game well enough to make strong plays. Avoid playing against opponents who you believe are much more skilful than you.

2) Have [E]motional control. Do not play when you are on tilt, or liable to go on tilt. Tilt is very, very expensive in poker.

3) Have a professional [A]mount at risk. Do not play when you have so much on the table (or the min. buy-in is so high) that to lose it all would seriously hurt your bankroll.

4) Be [R]efreshed. Do not play when you are tired, irritated or generally not feeling well for any reason.

Follow these guidelines when you choose a game, or choose whether to contine and you won't go far wrong. Check for Fish, your Emotional control, your Amount at risk and how Refreshed you are. Then your opponents will surely FEAR you.

[Papi Shasho]

Yeah, I'm thinking of playing the 2/5 NL game next time, but it's the same $100 max buyin...starting with 20 BB's might force me to tighten up and get paid more with big hands.

[SDone]

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Yeah, I'm thinking of playing the 2/5 NL game next time, but it's the same $100 max buyin...starting with 20 BB's might force me to tighten up and get paid more with big hands.

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That's not even worth playing.

[TheChad]

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Forget the amount of money won/lost in one session! It's totally irrelevant to long run results.

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yes, stop being results oriented. get up when you feel that you don't have at least half of the table owned (unless you are just a bunch of grinders beating the crap out of a live one). I will stay down to what I feel is 1/3 of the table is worse than I am, but I like to fold a lot and watch/learn. (example: I will open fold AJo UTG-MP just so I can have an excuse to watch.) But it really just comes down to where you think you will make money. I would have no problem sitting deep-stacked with a couple other deepish people as I can get out of the way of them tearing at some fishy. Then, if I pick up a monster, I can stack them too and make the monies!

Oh, and reread that FEAR thing. lack of emotional control and energy are the top killers of a roll.

[Albert Moulton]

The best thing to do is to set a time for yourself at which you plan to go home, but be flexible about that time if the game is either too tough to stay, or too soft to leave. Planning to play for 6 hours is good, in my opinion. Too much more and you run the risk of getting tired. Too much less, and you don't have time to take advantage of the reads you get and the image you create over the first few hours of play.

Then, when the planned time comes, unless there is some really compelling reason to stay longer, you should just go. There will be another session soon enough.

I also usually leave after getting down for a single session by more than two 100 bb buy-ins because I just don't play as well when I'm that far stuck as when I'm even or ahead for a single session. It's not so much a monetary loss-limit, so much as my own self-prescribed form of tilt prevention.

It's pretty rare to get down two full buy-ins, however, if you are in a decent live game, and you have lots of patience.