How do you feel about "break even" sessions?

quick

quick

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Obviously poker is technically one big long session. But it's still broken up into smaller time increments (like sitting down and playing for a few hours).

In cash games especially there's "sessions" where you can be up a few BIs in just a few minutes or down a few BIs after a few minutes. But there's also long sessions where you're playing well but just not getting cards. You might hit a nice double up or two but then get your money in ahead a few hands later and lose to some maniac who sucks out on river. Which often results in wrapping up the current session only to see that you've about "broken even" for that session.

For this purpose I consider breaking even in cash games (whether multi table or single) within less than a third or so a buy in up or down at the end of the session.

So how do you feel about these break even sessions? Do you feel good that you managed to play good poker and won by not losing much? Or do you feel frustrated that 5 hours passed and you made only a few dollars or lost a small amount?
 
M

MakeUcryalot

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You just worked for hours and hours giving your best effort and get absolutely nothing for it. It sucks.
 
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LalaBliss

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If you break-even it means that you nether lost anything nor won anything. It depends on how many hours you spent playing. If you spent 5 hours and there is no change in your balance, then I think you should feel a little bad. Ether you didn't play well or you simply lost all of your luck. Look on the positive side though, you are not in minus on the balance.

You shouldn't feel too bad as long as you learn something out of it and as long as you earn something the next day. Just stay positive, relaxed and everything will be fine :)

Good luck buddy!
 
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freestocks

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Great. That means I beat the rake and have bankroll preservation skill.
 
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Chemist

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It is 4am and I just spent the last 4 hours recovering to break even so now I am actually quite pleased to be there.

as posted above; beat the rake, bankroll preservation and a few player points make it acceptable.

Not every session can be a winner, so a breakeven with fpps is better than being down.
 
TimovieMan

TimovieMan

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I don't even mind losing sessions as long as I played well. It's all about the long run.

Stay within your BRM and play well. The rest is irrelevant.
Of course, I don't care about the money, so that helps. :)
 
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MinhANguyen

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I actually feel pretty alright about breakeven sessions. I have a majority of winning sessions, so a breakeven one doesn't bother me that much. Losing a BI or few does bother me a little since I play 100NL. Breaking even is a much better feeling than having a losing session where you keep getting sucked out on and/or running into the top of your opponents' ranges every single time. And after going on a 34BI downswing at one point, I'd much prefer to breakeven than swing down like that again.
 
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jwlaw35

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not a poker pro so I don't mind a break even session.. I would say anytime I walk away with out having lost I am doing ok
 
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Poom12

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Tired but at least you're not down. It does suck a bit since you cannot get back the time spent on a long grind but at the end of the day, there still a lot of takeaways. More time on the tables = more experience gained, provided that you learn from it.
 
IPlay

IPlay

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If you love the game then playing for a few hours only to be break even shouldn't bother you much.
 
PapaC

PapaC

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I have seen posts from other players that call breaking even is a win. At least you don't have to play catch up if you lose, which will get you off your game by playing hands that you may not play other wise and cause you to lose. For me, I'll take breaking even before I will losing
 
edc1

edc1

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well when i go to local casino i take 2 hundred with to play poker ive came home with a lil over 2 hundred several times -cant call it a win but i didnt lose-i call that a good day
 
dundo84

dundo84

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I always say to myself to stand up after i have a good run (2-3 buy in winnings), but often the greed gets me and i lose mostly on some suckouts, which cost me the winnings.If i don't have a good run, i quit after 1-2 buyins.As for the long run story, you need a lot more than 10-20$ bankroll to make some decent profit, or maybe thats just my expirience.Once i had a good br, until i cashed out and left 20$ in my account.Downswing got me and now at 2$ left.
 
SBEP

SBEP

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Alright, considering i haven't lost anything so i can try again tomorrow,so all i all they arent bad compared to a losing session but then again they are not great as u did not make any money, or made enough just to brake even, so i would go with this line, if u haven lost money then its fine :D
 
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Conviction07

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I use pokertracker so even if I break even I know I've accumulated stats on a bunch of new players.
 
Shaetano

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I think of it as a hobby.
Every hobby costs money to practice (be it buying a guitar, new bike and equipment, or a small deposit on a poker site...).

So as long as it doesn't cost me a lot of money, i don't really care.
And as i still play NL2, it doesn't cost me a lot of money ;)

Even if i lose for a couple of evenings, i did what i like to do, and that's enough for me.
 
R

roygor

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For me it feels a little weird, from one hand You play 3-4- hours and then you do not win at all , so basically you wasted your time.

On the other hand you enjoyed poker and did not lose a penny.

To conclude it all--> it sucks and nice all together.
 
IPlay

IPlay

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But you got 5 hours of free entertainment. I only see it as a bad thing if you don't enjoy poker
 
GuiWah

GuiWah

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It is sad! I agree. But you can get a lesson, just analyze your session and try to find your mistake.
 
Vini_lepoker

Vini_lepoker

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What really sucks is loosing 3 buy ins or more in one session lol. But actually that doesn't matter, what matters is the long run.
 
BluDogg

BluDogg

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%90+ spend months even years of time and have morning to show for it but empty bank accounts and wasted time.
 
partz

partz

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If u like poker and your target is not only the financial part and includes the funny part that gam brings with it I think it worth to spend couple of hours at the table and some cash wasted
 
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