Cash Game players - do you set a limit?

EaglesPwn · #1 10-11-2006, 08:39 AM

I am mainly just playing 10c/25c NL right now but I am curious,for those that play cash games...do you set a limit as far as money made in a day and then quit? Do you set a limit as to how many hrs a day you play? just looking for some advice..TY.

MortenTA · #2 10-11-2006, 08:45 AM

I dont see the point in setting an upper limit to what you can win in a day. Seems dumb.

I dont use a limit myself but if you have tilt problems I think setting a maximum loss is good.

ama0330 · #3 10-11-2006, 08:49 AM

This is actually a pretty good question.

If I'm running good, I set a time limit. This is basically becuase I work full time and can't stay up till 4am every day. On the weekend, if I'm running good, I'll stay as long as I can before things dry up or I pass out.*

If I'm running bad, its far more important for me to recognise when I'm dealing with it or not. If I lose a stack and I'm fuming, I'll walk away immediately. If I lose a stack and I can see I played it well and I feel okay, I'll continue. If I see myself starting to make loose calls and abnormal decisions, I'll walk away immediately. Learning to walk away and do something else has been one of the greatest accomplishments in my poker career thus far.

As more general advice, you should aim to play a couple of short and intense sessions rather than one big long one. I usually go for 1-1.5 hours, focussing as well as I can. Also, rather than thinking about quitting due to money or time limits, quit when you find that you are no longer playing your A game, for whatever reason. If you can play perfect poker for 24 hours straight, then you probably should.

*This has actually happened.

EaglesPwn · #4 10-11-2006, 08:54 AM

OK,let me pose the question this way....Lets say you are looking to make like $300/week...and lets say you take 1 day off (yeah right [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] anyway,do you think its good then to try to make $50/day for 6 days on avg and have your $300 or do you think you shouldnt set a goal like that?

Freelancer · #5 10-11-2006, 08:55 AM

If I am playing my A-game I continue playing untill I have other obligations. I'm reasonably good at quitting when I'm not playing my A-game but it remains difficult, if I'm running g00t (or have run good for the past week or so) I have no problems stopping. But when I've been running equal/losing over 4k hands, meh it gets difficult.

poshphil · #6 10-11-2006, 08:58 AM

[ QUOTE ]
OK,let me pose the question this way....Lets say you are looking to make like $300/week...and lets say you take 1 day off (yeah right [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] anyway,do you think its good then to try to make $50/day for 6 days on avg and have your $300 or do you think you shouldnt set a goal like that?

[/ QUOTE ]

I personally wouldn't set a goal like that at all. Play while you feel you are playing well and the games are good. You have the best chance of making whatever you want to in a week that way, as opposed to playing tired/poorly while trying to make an arbitrary figure.

ama0330 · #7 10-11-2006, 09:01 AM

Poker will never be consistent enough for you to be able to set a weekly earn target and reach it consistently. You might make 3k in a month then lose 2.5k slowly over the next two. Poker is very much a long term game and I think that setting this goal for yourself particularly at these small stakes is a really bad idea.

EaglesPwn · #8 10-11-2006, 09:04 AM

How do ppl make a living or a partial living at it then? I mean,you have to set some kind of a goal.

AJGibson · #9 10-11-2006, 09:06 AM

I think freelancer got it pretty much right. If I'm feeling good about my play and my opponents then it is unimportant if I'm winning or losing, If I stay in the situation it'll be profitable.

Only when I feel I'm not playing well or tilting will I stop. This is something I'm working hard to recognize at the moment, changing tables if the play there gets bad and leaving the tables altogether if my play is poor.

I try and take a couple of minutes break every 45mins, get a drink or something, that way my concentration stays pretty much at maximum. It's all personal preference though.

AJGibson · #10 10-11-2006, 09:14 AM

[ QUOTE ]
How do ppl make a living or a partial living at it then? I mean,you have to set some kind of a goal.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dealing with variance is probably the hardest part of being a pro, It's also the reason I know I could never do it full time. It takes a good understanding of the game along with constant improvement to be able to cut IMO. A lot, maybe even most of the people that try and turn pro will wind up broke.