Need help on when to quit.

So I used to play a lot of cash games online. And I noticed a trend Im sure a lot of you have seen. So I start out with $20 or so. run my stack up to $35 or $40. then WHAM. I hit the wall. you know the wall? The point where things start to spiral out of control. Well, maybe not even spiral. Just to the point where I hit my climax. Where I peaked in terms of winning for the session. I don't realize it but I continue to play and go back down to $15 or so.

That happened really frequently when I used to play cash. I'm talking 75% of the time. So I am kinda permanently stung by it. I just played a very small .05/10c cash game and started with $4. It was the first time I have played a cash game in 3 or 4 months. I worked it up to $11 then it hit me. "I'm going to lose this money if i don't quit". But the thing is I have only been playing 5-10 minutes and I am playing well so I don't want to quit. But I know if I keep playing eventually i'm going to go broke when I hit that *destined to go broke* hand. You know? The hands like QQ or something when I run into AA preflop.

So my question to you all is when to quit? When do i know when I have peaked in terms of chip stack and its time to get out? Do I even look at my stack amount to determine it? I hope someone can help me with this because when I am playing and it REALLY is bothering me when I am up. Its like this constant broken record voice in the back of my mind sayin "get out.. get out". This problem is lingering severely.

Assuming that you continue to play your "A" game, your chip stack shouldn't cause you to leave a profitable situation. It sounds to me like once you start hearing that voice telling you to "get out" you could be making some adjustments to your strategy without even realizing it. Yep, you can tilt while winning, I've done it!

I suppose a simple answer is to quit when the situation is no longer profitable. If you make some subconscious adjustment in strategy during a winning session, maybe you need to quit as soon as you double up or as soon as you get the "uh oh" feeling. Just know that this is not optimal and that you really need to focus on the cause of this event rather than running from it.

On the other hand, you might not be doing anything wrong. Maybe you're just experiencing a little natural variance which, from the tone of your post, is then causing you to become frustrated.

Just remember that for every frustrating QQ vs AA situation you're going to end up in an AA vs QQ spot that you'll shrug and say, "Yeah, I was supposed to win that", and forget about it 5 minutes later.

Being sufficiently rolled can really help fend off those "uh oh" feelings. Are you playing with a big enough bankroll for the games you play?

-HardKnox

Check out Chris Furguson stuff on Full Tilt Academy on bankroll management. Make sure to actually do the challenges, not just watch the vids. The challenges require you to leave the table at certain percentages up or down.

my tactic is leave wenn trippleup my buyin !
sometimes after my doubbleup if get that eh-oh feeling.
always follow your guts in thid decision !!

if start good and make profit the other players will get a bit read on your play and will make
it more difficult to increase your lead.
as soon they figure out your game you should leave .
even with a small profit on that table.

I tend to quit a session if:

1. I lose with AA, esp if I get it in preflop and lose.
2. I lose 2 BI's
3. I double up

Also I know this sounds trite but don't play when you're tired, distracted, kids running around, wife nagging, work calling, etc. I feel that I can only play focused for about 2 hours before my attention starts to wander.
Also don't do online poker and porn simultaneously.

Rmoneymaker8 said:

Its like this constant broken record voice in the back of my mind sayin "get out.. get out".

Click to expand...

The answer to your question is to listen to that voice.

Or get better at playing with a deeper stack.

BRM may be in your future.

With a comfortable BR, you sit and sit and sit with whatever stack you want, and if you lose it all, oh well, that's why you have X stacks in reserve in your bankroll.

Without a comfortable BR, it's going to sting when you lose a buy-in and a half. A lot.

Once I developed a healthy BR, I started feeling more comfortable with deepstack poker, and now I can double up, then double up again, and with two hands that would have doubled up my 100 BBs on two seperate occaisons, I've doubled up twice to 400 BBs.

I'm quite comfortable at deep stack poker in live games, and unless all the weak players leave and all the regs stay and the action dries up, I'll stick around and take their 150-200 BB stacks over and over and over again, until I get tired, have to go do something, get hungry, need a break, or start playing poorly.

Which are textbook answers...

1. The table is no longer profitable.
2. Your stack is too significant a part of your BR to lose.
3. You start playing poorly/lose your edge/tilt.
4. You are an hour late for work
5. You are tired. (Mr. Lee sleeps on the table at the 80NL @ The Bike in LA. Haha. Mr. Lee)

Pay attention especially to rule #2.

And a custom rule #6 for you -
6. You're not that good at deep stack poker.

If you are a 8/7 and have 300 BBs and open raise from UTG to 3 BBs I have you pegged for a giant hand. And I'm calling you with a crappy one if I have effective stacks anywhere near yours.

Most of the time, I just gave you 3 BBs. Every once in a while, I hit a set, flop two pair, a low raggedy straight, a baby flush, and I get it in a favorite to your AKs or AA or KK or QQ or maybe AQs.

That's part of my deepstack game, and while you'll say "what an idiot." I'll say "I'm so glad he didn't put me on 35o here."



GL on the felt.

I am playing within my bankroll for sure. I turned $30 into over $300. I am very good with BRM. I never play outside my comfort zone. I am very self conscious with the limit sit n go I play (never over $3). Its just I have had so many sessions where I go up and down I am trying to get out when I hit my peak. If that makes any sense. I am just looking for some advice from players here who do it for a living or who specialize in cash games. I would be very thankful

Hardnox- It is very frustrating. And when I get to big stack I do notice I play a different game. I become tight and scared to lose my stack. Which is completely different then how I got it.

thanks for your feedback guys. keep it coming please

leave when

you are losing thats all i can say lol...but that is right there is a certain amount you want to play say you have 100 dollars highest mtt you want to play is 2 dollar highest ring game is like 2 cent 4 cent games that way you don't lose your bank so fast..

I have this problem alot also, don't know when to say STOP. I will even have my wife watching me and have her telling me to stop and I can't. I always seem to be chasing the money that I lost. I have problems sleeping at night, so I will play at 3:00am and lose everything in 20 minutes. I guess it all comes down to will power and realizing when you are on tilt. I am still learning this and until I do I will be in the same boat as you.

Strong question.

definitely you have a problem playing deep stack, i believe you are getting into scared money when you double up. simplest solution is leave the table when the voicetells you get out, get out, and join a new one with 100BB, at least until you get better with playing deepstack.

Rmoneymaker8 said:

Hardnox- It is very frustrating. And when I get to big stack I do notice I play a different game. I become tight and scared to lose my stack. Which is completely different then how I got it.

thanks for your feedback guys. keep it coming please

Click to expand...

I think this is an answer to your question. As soon as you recognize that you're making this (tight/scared) adjustment you should instantly sit out (don't wait for another blind orbit - insta quit) and take a break or sit in a new game where you will be more comfortable.

Really though, this is just avoiding the problem. The only way to get comfortable playing with a bigger stack is by... playing with a bigger stack. In order to maximize your long term success I really think this is where your focus should be. Just like moving up in stakes, the amount of money on the table will eventually stop bothering you.

Is the problem only when the effective stacks are deep (both you and at least one other player have say, 200bb) or simply when you have a big stack and the rest of the table is still around 100bb? If the later, your problem isn't with "deep stacked play" but rather just your comfort level with having a bunch of chips in front of you.

Can you give some details on the games you are currently playing? Format, stakes, etc...

-HardKnox

It sounds to me that you really know already "when to Quit". I'd say as soon as you get that feeling your about to lose the money, "Stop Playing", I repeat, "Stop Playing"! I know it's tough to do but considering you've made a profit I'd quit. Good Luck with that