When to leave the ring

ok After evaluating my bankroll i now know how much i should bring to the table. My question is when should i leave?
first off I have read poker books and stuff about how u shouldn't play for a certain amount of cash or a certain time because it will affect ur play. My question is more when should i leave. I have the habit of doing very well in the beginning and once i get some reads down i quickly find an opportunity to double up. Once i have gone into the black though i often will make stupid calls and loose everything. Should i leave once i feel happy with my earnings or what?
i dont know if this is a good question or not

This is a pretty good question I think. I play at a table when I feel I have an edge. I have reads/notes on most of the players at the table and I have a fairly good idea of where my profits are coming from because I have identified the players that make the most obvious mistakes or have a good handle on their tendencies. Once I find myself in this situation I'll play as long as I can until I notice my concentration level drop off. Then I leave or take a 15/20 minute break.

Sometimes, if I find myself in a tough game, I'll still stick around. This is because I'm prepared to trade off some of the +EV for the experience that I'll gain playing in a tough game. This in itself will increase my EV going forward.

I also think the issues you raised about how you play when either up or down points to a lack of beleif in probabilities. Let me explain. You should simply be playing the best poker you can regardless of whether you are up or down at a certain point in your session. I think you're ego is getting involved in a way that doesn't allow you to stay present and carry on making the best poker decisions. Remember, you are just letting the probabilities play out and by making the best decisions hopefully you capitalise on your edge and see a profit in the long run. Once you completely accept this aspect of poker you'll stop riding your equity swings so personally and you'll make better decisions as a result. Also you'll find yourself more grounded and less susceptible to tilt because you wont be expecting anything. So in summary, accept the risk of loss completely, manage your egoic expectations and make the best decision based on the situation.

Sorry for the sermon but I hope this helps.

naaaa i appreciate the sermon. I understand it but i have to make sure i stay with it.

It think Shatzdog really nailed it. In short for me, as long as I feel I'm playing good poker and the table conditions warrant I'm not leaving.

As long as you know this you can work on it.

Thats the #1 goal right there. Money should not be an issue at the poker table, as it tends to cloud judgement. Just worry about the cards, trust your reads, and the information you gathered. If you focus more on playing solid cards and not how much $ your making more times than not you are going to come out on top. Even if you lose $ after a session, go back and review what you did. Did you chase too much? Make a bad bluff? The key is to play solid poker and everything else will fall into place.

Also, very often, you can show a loss when you have played solid poker, even for consecutive sessions, so you shouldn't care about losing money and thus leaving unless:
1) You're on tilt (if you've lost 30bb playing limit and are steaming, even if the game is good, leave)
2) You've lost so much that you're not playing at the right stakes now (took a shot, chased a loss, etc.)

In these cases you should leave immediatly and take a break. The problem for me is not so much when to leave, but when to play. Very often I'll want to play, but I'll be tired (I work very long hours and don't have a lot of days off). Since I really play my worst poker when tired so I just study my previous hands or watch a table and take note on players instead. I'll usually only sit at the table when fully rested with my concentration and leave when too tired, bored or when the table has changed. In short, you should leave when you feel you are not at your best.

good answers i have made the mistake of playing tired. if it's past my normal bedtime i'll go to bed

this is it right here, bottom line, nothing else needs to be said.

From most of the reading I have been doing the majority says "Set an amount of time" and try to be somewhere within that time limit...

However, I feel that part of becoming a good all-around poker player is knowing yourself in and out... You should be playing in the game as long as it is profitable, and you have an edge... If you start tilting, or getting too tired, or the game has changed up at all to take away that edge, you should know, and leave... This is a skill I don't think I possess yet, but it's one I am looking forward to acquiring.

u nailed it Schatzdog, i mean always just making good poker decisions and playin solid will make u more money in the long run. Making tilt decisions and feelings affect ur play. I just wanted to say that was a great post to that question man and u kinda of reminded me again what winning poker is about.

Also consider the possibility that once you get a good read on a player, that player will eventually figure out you have a read, and will change things up to catch you.

Nice one. Cheers