When to quit and when to cash out

As a poker player you just know that when you're down during a particular session, or that the cards being dealt are gettin' colder than Kobe's wife you know that you just have to pick it up and just get out. Even when Phil Ivey was coming up as a top professional, he would just get up and walk away after an 8-hour session and call it an evening -- his patience to walk away rather than just try to "break back even" showed an uncanny commitment to his trade...mainly because he knew that there were other days and other suckers ready to make money off of the next go-around.

Like playin' at a regular table, knowing when to walk and knowing when to cash out is all about "feel." When you're up and ridin' a great streak of cards or luck, or when you're playin' bluffs and semi-bluffs just right, you automatically should know that once that particular session is over do the right thing and cash out either all of it or a large percentage of it. If you're head isn't in the game, and you're not focused, you WILL lose money and you WILL lose consistently -- and then you'll have nothing to cash out, nor will you have anything left to play with. Every top player will encounter any and all of these situations...

This is something I am still trying to get better at, lost too much from playing catch up, which makes the bad beats hurt even more ;]

whenever i go to a casino i make sure i do 2 things. 1. i only bring enough money i plan on spending at poker + food and toll. i even keep my ATM at home so i dont get tempted. i usually bring about 200 for casino ($100 buy in) but i try my best not to have to use it. 2. i set a time limit for myself. this rule does vary a bit depending on how i do. i usually set a time limit of maybe 5-6 hours after sitting at a table and after the limit is up, i get up and cash whatever i have. i thinking set up a time limit for myself keeps me from staying at the table trying to win more money and end up losing money. this way i can say to myself "ok you tripled up in 5 hours of play. maybe next time you can make more in the same time. good game, but thats enough."

sometimes, though ill have to get up and leave if ive had a big streak of luck and i feel like players are gunning for me or i find myself temped to play the luck streak, ill get up. usually i dont just get up and leave, ill wait for the button to pass me up before i get up. on night were things are going poorly for me, lets say im playing as well i as i can, but i keep getting cold cards or i keep getting bad/unlucky beats then i might decide to leave a bit earlier. ive been at a casino a number of times, sat at table for 3-4 hours and the highest ive gone over with my buy in is $20 - 30 dollars. my chip stack kept decreasing from the blinds and small pot losses, but i never won a big enough pot to bring me up. so in this case i decide on 2 things to do: 1. i wait for the blind to pass me up and if nothing happens i get up and leave. 2. (if im really low stack) ill wait for the double up, then i'll leave. one time i came down to about 40 bucks, waited and waited, finally when i was to about 30 dollars or less i won a nice pot 50+ dollar pot, collected my chips, waited for the blinds, then got up and left. so i only lost about 15 dollars in that game. i think its really important do know when to give up, get up, and come back another day...

I suppose the best thing todo is play low limits get over your buyin amount cash out what you buy'd in and play from there!

When i win big either during a ring game or especially a tournament on the internet,I immediately cash out most of it. I leave some money in my account so i can play more.

I've never played at a casino before, is 5-6 hours about what everyone plays, that seems like a pretty long run.

Catch up always results in bankruptcy. Im a fan of cashing all the time whenever you can.

well honestly for me I look at online poker as a form of entertainment so I NEVER try and break even in the long run it will just cost you more money
you have to set a time limit and when its up win lose or draw get up and leave

I know exactly what you mean... I'm the worst at pulling out when I'm ahead, this is the main thing I have to work on. Thanks for the insight.

Flyin

You should always have enough money, but there is a misconception about leaving after losing and winning. Unless you have just spent too much time at a table, you should stay at the table as long as it should be profitable. If you are at a table with players that you are better than, you should remain at that table even if you have lost a big pot, or have been losing for a little while. Always maximize your profit. That being said, you shouldn't leave while you are ahead if there is more to be made.

i usually cash out when i am 50 ahead on pokerstars, i never lik having under 50 dollars in my bankroll, becausre the short stack has the worst odds in pokerstars

my View on when to stop is when u go below 50% of what u came with to play purposely in the Canisio and if ur winning do go below 25% of ur winnings will keep u with cash or above what u came with jsut my theory

actually i think that poker is 50% luck + 50% your skill.

yeah thats about the usual but if you do go you should not stay longer especially playing the higher limits...after 7 or 8 hours your not as sharp as you were and if your in the hole and trying to get out iver found that its better to just get up and leave or your just going to lose more