I'm unable to stop playing when winning

[BigPoppa]

There's no way you can play your best poker after 24 hours straight. Even if you still feel awake, your brain will not be as sharp. It sounds like you're in too much of a hurry to win. This is not a game that rewards being impatient.

The best thing to do is to plan your sessions. Play exactly four hours (set an alarm clock), then take a break for something to eat or to go outside. If you feel that you're still playing well, play another session. But I would advise you not to play more than 2 four hour sessions a day, regardless of how you are doing.

BTW: Feel lucky. I'm in Germany where every $1 is more like 75 cents.

[RiverPlay]

[ QUOTE ]
There's no way you can play your best poker after 24 hours straight. Even if you still feel awake, your brain will not be as sharp. It sounds like you're in too much of a hurry to win. This is not a game that rewards being impatient.

The best thing to do is to plan your sessions. Play exactly four hours (set an alarm clock), then take a break for something to eat or to go outside. If you feel that you're still playing well, play another session. But I would advise you not to play more than 2 four hour sessions a day, regardless of how you are doing.

BTW: Feel lucky. I'm in Germany where every $1 is more like 75 cents.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are prolly right, but thats why I didnt play for 30hs... I really feel I play better after 4hs, and usually for 3 hs more.
But what u said made me think about being in a hurry to win, and I think it may be true... I played for like 100K hands this year (mostly learning) averaging 4.6 PTBB among a lot of levels (NL25 being my worst) and I'm kinda in a rush to get to 200NL and see if I'm able to be a consistent winner there. I think scheduling might work for good.

[Nytecaster]

Sometimes a moral victory can be good, as long as that doesn't feed an ego. Quitting while ahead can be a good thing once in awhile, but too often you would be missing out on good opportunities if you did it every time. In this sense I would say go with what comes natural and let nature run it's course. As long as the focus is good, let it soar.

[Nytecaster]

I would generally like to followup and say that if someone is playing better during longer sessions, it could come from a multitude of sources, in my opinion. The first source is your inner peace which allows you to focus and get into a rhythm or Zen-like state. The second is your ability to read other players/betting patterns/quirks at your particular table. When the two are working together you have a great advantage at any table.

The first source takes time for most people to develop even for seasoned players. Finding that rhythm can take quite a few hands, especially in a live game when the action is slow. When I am excited to play I sometimes take awhile to find my rhythm unless I run hot to begin with. So circumstances do dictate how often you can achieve these mental states, the measure of how much they will is a matter of your state of mind.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Feel free to comment if you agree/disagree with what I'm saying here.

[El_Hombre_Grande]

The length of your sessions should be determined by how you feel (not how other posters feel) and how well you control your emotions/tilt (not how well others do) and how good the games are/aren't.

That being said, its highly doubtful that you are that superman who has the physical and emotional stamina to play 24 hour sessions online and stay in a good game.

More likely that you are making a huge, huge -EV mistake by doing this.


Sometimes when I am multitabling, I get tired or distracted or unhappy. I quit for 10 minutes, walk around or pet the dog, and everything is good. Sometimes, when I go back, I'm still tired or distracted or unhappy. If thats the case, I'm done until it passes. I find that for me at least the better half of winning is avoiding situations that you lose because of poor non-poker decisions you made, and poor game selection. If I stack off while happy, alert, and well fed-rested at a table with fish I may still be an idiot, but at least it wasn't something I could have prevented with simple common sense.

I know a lot of posters here get caught up in getting in so many hands per day or so many hours. While its true that you need to put time in, that time should be measure not just in hours, but in hours when you are playing solid, and are playing with an advantage.

My point is that in hour 22 its highly unlikely that you have a substantial enough advantage. Go to sleep.