Stop playing when you are up

[iAmAddicted]

because if you're up that much you are in a good mindset and playing your best game most likely...don't stop when you have a an edge. We're gamblers, we push our edges until we fall off of them.

[BigBuffet]

I should have qualified my post for NL cash games where the tide can turn quickly.

In limit cash games you can grind it out until your eyes fall out...

[Piemaster]

[ QUOTE ]
This has been happening to me for a long time.
Poker is a long term game, which means that if you are winning player, more you play (assuming u play good) = more money.

However, I find myself "afraid to lose it back" and I stop playing after being up 3 buy-ins or so.


[/ QUOTE ]

What, forever?

[Unknown Soldier]

[ QUOTE ]
I should have qualified my post for NL cash games where the tide can turn quickly.

In limit cash games you can grind it out until your eyes fall out...

[/ QUOTE ]


right they can turn quickly, but so what? What difference does it make. The next hand is the next hand. Whether it's played immediately after the last one, or in a week.

[CrustyFace]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I should have qualified my post for NL cash games where the tide can turn quickly.

In limit cash games you can grind it out until your eyes fall out...

[/ QUOTE ]


right they can turn quickly, but so what? What difference does it make. The next hand is the next hand. Whether it's played immediately after the last one, or in a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have say $75 and a $25 table and there is one other $50 to $75 stack at the table, i'd happily quit and come back with $25 another day. I don't want to lose 2-3 buyins in one hand.

[Unknown Soldier]

that's more to do with bankroll management. If you can't afford to have $75 at a table then I'd say that's a good reason to stop. Unless you are online where it is very easy to take your chips off the table. "Going south" I think is the expression.

[SplawnDarts]

I think the majority of players have a big leak in their game when playing with a stack consisting mostly of winnings from that session. Simply put, they don't value that money as much as their buyin, and as a result tend to play it poorly.

If you have this leak, stopping when you're up to the point where it kicks in is a very +EV move. I know for a fact that I had it for years, and made a policy of stopping any time I had 3 buyins. Is it an artificial solution to a stupid leak? Sure. But it put more money in my pocket, and money kept by artificial means spends just fine. Often times I'd be back in that same game 2 hours later with a fresh buyin.

In recent years I've managed to plug the leak, mostly, so I tend to play longer in winning sessions.

[Unknown Soldier]

as long as you realise it's a stupid leak then that's fine, if you're making -EV moves when you reach a certain amount of money then you should definitely quite, but should work on stopping making those moves

[SplawnDarts]

[ QUOTE ]
as long as you realise it's a stupid leak then that's fine, if you're making -EV moves when you reach a certain amount of money then you should definitely quite, but should work on stopping making those moves

[/ QUOTE ]

It may be a "stupid" leak, but pretty much every player I've ever met had some degree of it. I think it's almost as fundamental a psychoogical phenomena as tilt and the defense is basically the same.
After all, when you're on tilt, pretty much everyone agrees that the correct thing to do is get up from the table either temporarily or permanently until your state of mind improves. No one reccomends you continue to play tilted, no matter how good the game might be in theory. I don't see this as any different, really.

[kerowo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
as long as you realise it's a stupid leak then that's fine, if you're making -EV moves when you reach a certain amount of money then you should definitely quite, but should work on stopping making those moves

[/ QUOTE ]

It may be a "stupid" leak, but pretty much every player I've ever met had some degree of it. I think it's almost as fundamental a psychoogical phenomena as tilt and the defense is basically the same.
After all, when you're on tilt, pretty much everyone agrees that the correct thing to do is get up from the table either temporarily or permanently until your state of mind improves. No one reccomends you continue to play tilted, no matter how good the game might be in theory. I don't see this as any different, really.

[/ QUOTE ]

If everyone jumped off the roof would you? It is exactly opposite of quiting while you are on tilt. When you are on tilt you are playing bad, when you are up the assumption is you are playing well (or getting smacked in the face with the deck) quiting in the former is a great idea, in the later is a leak. There are situations when it isn't a bad leak; like when your PT session tracker is all red and you really want to book a win, but it is still a leak.