Teach me when to quit a live session - Page 3

Howard Beale · #21 08-04-2007, 02:18 AM

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sorry howard but I respectfully disagree. I built my roll by "hit and running". I built my roll by leaving when I was up and staying when I was stuck. I am a lifetime loser in live games when I play over 8 hours.

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No prob. As I said I'm reluctant to tell somebody not to do what works for them. But your reply looks like it's making 2 different points. If your game deteriorates after 8 hours then you obviously shouldn't play over 8 hours. I don't get how that ties in with the hit and running or playing while stuck (presumably you mean until you're winning or even). Still, I'm glad that it's working for you.

bigjoet · #22 08-04-2007, 04:52 AM

yah... i've been having the same problem lately and it makes me sick... i'm gonna experiment w/ a stop win at 50bb... it seems no matter how good the game is, how good i'm playing, and how great my image is.... when i reach about 50-70bb, a bad run happens, i give back 30-40 bets in a couple hours, and things just snowball (as in a disgusting 7 rack swing last week).

here's a question about image... if you remember someone as laggy, does that image stick w/ the person for a while? i like my lagtag image, but i feel like i've been doing more than my fair share of advertising these days...

pocketpared · #23 08-04-2007, 11:29 AM

It's been repeated a thousand times...and it's still true: poker is one continuous session. It doesn't matter if you have your downswing at the end of the current session or the start of the next session. It's coming, rest assured. You just never know when.

You should know approximately how long it takes for you to tire and for your game to begin to deteriorate. For the people I know, that's around 6 hours at 7CS to around 8 hours at HE. For me personally, around 6 hours at 7CS and 7 hours at LHE. If you can realistically assess that you have an edge, continue to play until either the edge evaporates or you hit your limit where you will begin to tire and start making mistakes. If you have something bothering you, stop playing as soon as you determine it is affecting your play. If you were flipping a coin with an advantage, getting say $1.10 to $1.00, would you quit because you were up? Would you quit because you were stuck and "tomorrow's another day"? If you have an edge, play. If you don't, find another game. If you are making mistakes, for whatever reason, then tomorrow is another day.

Gamblers are funny people. Some gamblers like to shoot out from under the nuts. This is self-destructive. They'll play a bad game. lose 9 times out of ten, and the one time out of ten they beat it that's the only time they talk about. Of course, playing tough games can make you a better player. But it also may get you broke before you improve if you fail to play more easy games than tough ones. You see people at the track, bragging about how much they lost, as if it's a badge of honor they can afford to lose it. They even round their losses up to the next thousand dollars: a $1200 loss becomes, "I dumped two g's last night". With poker, how often do you see people remark about how long they played as if it somehow means they are a tougher player, to be admired for doing something which in fact is counterproductive? These traps apply to any form of gambling. The winning gambler never makes a wager at a disadvantage (unless as an investment to reap future rewards). Gambling is a tool he uses to grow his bankroll, not to satisfy a craving for adrenaline (although that is a nice side benefit). He only wagers when he is the favorite.

This is just common sense based on 36 years of gambling observations. It is also good information. Now, if you can figure out how to actually apply it to poker, pm me because I still violate these rules from time to time.

bigjoet · #24 08-04-2007, 11:46 AM

i totally agree on the "continuous game" aspect; however, most ppl feel high as a bird while crushing the game despite being tired already... for me, i guess all the elements of a swing become coupled and things snowball...

ProfessorBen · #25 08-04-2007, 12:34 PM

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i totally agree on the "continuous game" aspect; however, most ppl feel high as a bird while crushing the game despite being tired already... for me, i guess all the elements of a swing become coupled and things snowball...

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Learn to become tilt-less. Seriously, I can quote half the responses in this topic with that simple phrase or "Don't pay attention to your chips".

Bicycles_Biatch · #26 08-04-2007, 12:39 PM

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sorry howard but I respectfully disagree. I built my roll by "hit and running". I built my roll by leaving when I was up and staying when I was stuck. I am a lifetime loser in live games when I play over 8 hours.

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Ditto... after a few hours, whether I'm up or down... my mind starts to wonder, I get bored, and I don't play as well.

I like to hit and run. If I can win $500 3 out of 4 days a week(and lose around $500 on that other day), that supplements my regular income by about $4,000 a month and makes me very happy.

I don't count on poker winnings to pay the bills.... and I have no interest of going pro of being a big shot... I just play for fun and vacation money.

The $500 a day works for me.

ProfessorBen · #27 08-04-2007, 12:50 PM

Actually, you guys are all right...

Scramble too please.

Bicycles_Biatch · #28 08-04-2007, 12:59 PM

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Actually, you guys are all right...

Scramble too please.

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I understand the theory behind being a winning player, the one long session ideal, and so on and so on.

BUT... it's important to know ones own personal limitations and ones own pshycology

sternroolz · #29 08-06-2007, 07:24 PM

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I like to hit and run. If I can win $500 3 out of 4 days a week(and lose around $500 on that other day), that supplements my regular income by about $4,000 a month and makes me very happy.

I don't count on poker winnings to pay the bills.... and I have no interest of going pro of being a big shot... I just play for fun and vacation money.

The $500 a day works for me.

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I have no clue whatsoever how you can predict you will win $500 a session or whatever. In fact, I can't think of a single reason why that sort of thinking even makes sense. What do you do when variance bites you in the rear and you have 7 straight losing sessions?

sternroolz · #30 08-06-2007, 07:34 PM

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One of my main problems this summer has been quiting any given session when I am either up or down.

Obviously if the game is good you should want to continue playing but there are some sessions where I find myself just losing the rest of my rack or whatever even though I am not running well. Clearly this is just wrong even when the game is great, you are playing well, but just running bad. Should I just accept a 25BB loss instead of a 15BB loss even though it is clear that I will lose 10BB more often than I will make a come back?

When I am winning I typically just keep playing until I lose a pot or two and then decide that I should just book it for the sake of booking a win even though I might still feel fresh and general game conditions suggest I should keep playing. I just absolutely hate the idea of going on a nice rush on the onset for like 35BBs and the potentially losing it all back. But of course this also prevents me from huge winning session.

One thing I have been considering is maybe setting a predetermined amount of time that I will play before I start any given session. Say for example 5 hours or something.

So tell me, how do you quit good?

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Wow, your thinking on this is all sorts of effed up. Really. I want to guess that you are playing too high if the money matters to you this much. But I don't know that.

I do know that the guys posting about the one long continuous session are correct. You really need to get yourself in that spot where the amount of money you are ahead or behind at any given time is something you don't consider. Thats key here.

I do admit that I quit prematurely sometimes when I am behind. I do this because I get drained when I lose. That goes for any competative thing I am involved in,not just poker, and its always been that way for me. So its not the loss of money so much as the constant pummelings that get to me, even if it is just a series of bad beats.

But overall, I look to play when healthy...when my mind is in the right spot, when I am fresh and alert. Really nothing is better than being well rested and playing with schlubs that have been working all day and are out chasing losses late into the night.

Time is a good thing to set. I used to do this when I was trying to play for a living. Regular breaks are good too. Sitting at the table without moving and freeing your mind from poker just puts me in a wierd spot mentally and emotionally.