Ring game - When to cash out?

Recently, I've been playing in a live, low limit cash game at my local card club.

At what point do you cash out your chips. I've found that I can make about 80% profit on my initial investment, and then either lose that profit or, worse yet, lose my initial buy-in. Because, as you know, your good luck does not last forever.

I find that I feel more confident when I go home a winner, even if it's just $30.

I would like to know what your philosophy is with respect to cash out at cash games.

Thanks

a lot of people leave when they're doubled up. i just leave when i feel like im losing my focus or if i cant beat the majority of the table.

You're right joose, I was up about 80%, and then some new people joined the table and they played real slow. I began to lose focus and not pay attention to what others were doing. I also ran in to a number of semi-bad beats. Semi, meaning that I would have poket Ks and some one would get a set of 10s.

You see a lot of zombies at the card rooms. people that lose and lose and continue to reach in to their walets for cash. I was a zombie at one point to today but I had enough discipline to leave when I reached my limit. Tomorrows another day!

There's always time for one more hand! <:grin:>

I use stop gap method. 30% lose on buy in 10% lose on winings no mater how large or small the winings are.

I sat down at a .25/.50 NL ring game Friday with the max buy in of $50, my very first hand was a full house and some one with a big stack pushed all in. I doubled up on the first hand! But I was there to play some poker so I played on for an hour and a half and ended up losing my winnings PLUS $20 of my original buy-in. Not my best poker decision!! But a lesson learned - cut and run when you hit a biggie, you can always play again tomorrow.

I will usually leave when I have between 1.5 times and twice my buyin.

I used to always play to double up, but recently I have become a little more cautious. This followed a couple of occasions when a single bad beat cost me all the profits I`d spent an hour+ accumulating - very frustrating.

Of course, all of this depends on the character of the game. If I feel that the table is passive and there are chips there for the taking, I`ll carry on. If the environment is tough, I`ll cash in and move to another table.

Poker Tracker is helpful in making that kind of judgement. Used with a HUD, it gives you numbers for the table`s VP$IP and AF and you can see when new players join or existing players change gear and the texture of the game changes. If you are an experienced player, you develop a feel for this anyway, but it`s nice to check your hunch against the numerical data.

Ok, lets all admit one thing...we play to make money.

The first time today, I sat down at a live 3/6 game and was up 60% on my $100 buy-in within 1/2 hour. I told myself "i'm here to play some poker" and rather than leave I lost was down 80% and some how mange to be up 20%(all percentages relative to initial buy-in), and then lose everything(except $4 The fact of the matter is that I feel like a smuck for losing.

I'll admit I lack discipline which does not bode well for my poker career.

Sorry just have to post another message to support my earlier message. Today, I was playing with a guy to the left of me that was doing well, I guess he was up about $30. He said that he is just here to have some fun, real casual like. After a while his luck changed and he began to lose, and I heard him mutter "I just want to break even".

We all have an emotional attachment to money and we shouldn't kid ourselves in thinking that we play for "fun" and that it is ok to lose money. I guess if I were to divide the # of hours I played by my losing, it would be 6.5 hours/$96. Pretty good entertainment value for $96, still I would be happier being up $70.

I cash out when I have doubled up or if i find I am just wasting money on bad calls because im tired

I think its Harrington that says "Leave whenever your feeling uncomfortable".

If you double up early then you have me playing power for later, but if you don't feel you can continue to profit at the table, then leave.

Conversely, if you've taken a few beats to players you have solid reads on, and know the difference between you is the luck of the cards, then stay - they won't outdraw you everytime.

That is so true, last weekend I was playing this cash game and was 140% profit and then managed to go down to -50%. I was pretty annoyed that I didn't leave! I guess you should leave when you are around 80%-100% winning.

Cash out when you start to not play your optimal poker.

Most sites have play money tables, ring games/sng's or MTT's.

I must be weird.

I enjoy playing play money poker. I am also really cheap, and don't care to invest my own money.

I have won a cash stake via freerolls, and occasionally add to it. I play mostly sng's and tourneys.

What I have found is that about 2/3 of the players are in too much of a hurry. In either sng's or tourneys, the level of play increases dramitically after those 2/3 are out. At that point for the most part, the play is equal to real money games.

At Full Tilt Poker, my play money is up to a bit shy of 200K. Biggest games I've played there is 10k play money. Cashed (?) in both. I am proud of that almost 200 K. When it gets to 1 mil, I expect to be good enough to perhaps change to a mostly cash basis.

I seem to have an aversion to ring games. Unless the players are known to have some poker smarts, I find it to much like roulette.

On the 2 or 3 occasions when I have taken my cash to a ring game, I have faired poorly. Odds might suggest I need to wait it out longer, but since I have concentrated on tourney strategies, I may not go back to ring games for some time.