when to end a session ?

letderbefish

letderbefish

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does anyone have any basic strategy that worked for them to beat the micros level (NL2-NL10) and move up when it comes to ending a session when you're up.
i quit when i am like 200BB down but i always have trouble quitting when i am up, today after 300 hands i was up around 200BB, played 100 more hands and i ended up only 50BB up.
i usually cap my sessions at 200 hands, it seems every time i go over that i end the session with less profit than what i would have had.

any good advices/strategy :eek: ?


(fulltiltpoker)
 
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LD1977

LD1977

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I have started at 2NL and now play 10NL, hopefully by end of year I will be ready to try 25NL.

As for your question, you need to say what kind of strategy you play (stack size, how many tables, style of play).

Generally speaking, I play when I am in the mood and don't have a set number of hands. I do like to take breaks between sessions to rest a bit.

If I have a big stack on a table and I think it is risky to continue until the inevitable bad beat then I quit the table and open a new one. It just makes it simpler to play since 100bb stack is easy compared to 250bb stack, which gives everybody great odds for set mining and such.

Your problem (if it is one) might be lack of concentration/discipline when you are up and then you spew, or the mentioned stack size issue. It is common to have several players on a table with 130bb+ stacks and if you have them covered it becomes very tricky when raising from EP/MP.
 
letderbefish

letderbefish

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I have started at 2NL and now play 10NL, hopefully by end of year I will be ready to try 25NL.
mind me asking how long it took u :D? maybe im trying to reach NL25 too quickly.

i play 4 tables 6max 100bb mostly capped, usually my winnings are spread over those 3/4 tables, if i'm up +100BB at one i close it too.
i play lag which gets me in trouble since all my losses are due to suckouts or bad beats against bad players, mostly allin situations.
i played NL10 for about a week (within 20bi BR management) but it all went to a big loss on a saturday evening steamy session. which is my day off from poker from now on.
 
Aces2w1n

Aces2w1n

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When to quit it's quite simple... Either when your really tired and feel like your not playing your best game??? Or when your worm graph starts to level out... That's when I normally quit and also soon as I start thinking HOW CAN I LOSE? I have learnt to turn the computer off after that as well. Seems to be a sign of tilt coming even if i'm infront which I find quite weird and I don't know if anyone else ever witnesses this in their game?

Another reason to leave a session when up, is if you have a visitor? the kids wake up? Wife comes home? :) .... Actually any distractions that come about and if you need to do chores or get anxious about anything you need to be doing in the real world and not try and rush for more winnings in a short period because that will just p you off when you fall back down.... Anyways this is some of the stuff I've learnt the hard way :)
 
Aces2w1n

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300 hands is just a short amount to play ... Ez amount to maintain if you come home after work though but one might need to ask, why are you stopping after a short amount? Perhaps you need to work harder on your game and find those leaks and playing particular hands bad? Maybe need to work more on analysing your game rather than worrying about short term profits...
 
Cafeman

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I play for hours if the games are good. Basically, if you feel as though you have a significant edge, you shouldn't leave the game.
 
Akorps

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When you start wondering if it is time to quit, it is probably a good time to quit :)
 
LD1977

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I started last December as a complete beginner and with bank of 0$, moved up to 5NL when I had 300$, moved up to 10NL when I had 680$ (it was supposed to be 700$ but I had a small downswing). As you can see this is a pretty conservative approach but I don't have to move down if I struggle at first (which I do).

Plan is to move up to 25NL when I will have 2000$+ BR and if I am happy with my play (which I am currently not). December 1st looks realistic.
 
letderbefish

letderbefish

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I started last December as a complete beginner and with bank of 0$, moved up to 5NL when I had 300$, moved up to 10NL when I had 680$ (it was supposed to be 700$ but I had a small downswing). As you can see this is a pretty conservative approach but I don't have to move down if I struggle at first (which I do).

Plan is to move up to 25NL when I will have 2000$+ BR and if I am happy with my play (which I am currently not). December 1st looks realistic.

not sure i can be that tight with my BR management,
anyway, i decided to end my sessions at either 400hands or +200bb or -200bb which ever comes first, and so far so good :)
 
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loomis311

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I think quitting should depend on your state of mind. If you know you are making good decisions and feel you have an edge on the players than I continue to play. I do not think quitting should really depend if you are down or up for a session and you are playing well. There is always variance in poker.
 
Beanfacekilla

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It's simple.

A checklist.




Are you playing your A-game?
Are you awake and alert enough, thinking clearly?
Do you have an edge on the table?
Is there any money in the table to win? Bad players with 100 BBs for example....
Do you feel like playing?




I think that about does it. My opinion anyways.
 
supernuts25

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i always end it if i stop getting reads on the other player wheather its live or online even if im winning cause i know then im only playing my hands. and thats the start of waiting to lose
 
JaxA

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When you start wondering if it is time to quit, it is probably a good time to quit :)

This.
I used to have a hard time with it. Now if the thought crosses my mind that I'm tired or it might be quitting time the I quit or take break. I've become pretty disciplined at it and I'm glad.
 
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kmichaels

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If you always go down after reach something about 200 bbs, then you should quit right after you reach it. It depends from the players. Some guys don´t know how to play when they are winning and feel that nobody will stop them which of course it´s not true. But i know that if you quit you will ask yourself that you could stay a little bit more and try to win even more. Instead thinking that, think how much money you save from keep playing. If you think that you will always feel good after a session and will always make money long term.
 
SANDYHOOKER KY

SANDYHOOKER KY

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When to quit. Well, everyone has different ideas on that, i personally set an amount to lose, to win, and whether or not i am tired, and also if i am running cold. You generally can tell right off the bat if your going to run cold, or get second best the whole session. Some players cannot resist the temptation to try to recoup money they have lost, usually resulting in more losses. You have to set some kind of limits on your bankroll, and stick to them.
 
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Phoenix14

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Personally, I always end my sessions at about $800 at the $1 $2 table.
 
letderbefish

letderbefish

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Personally, I always end my sessions at about $800 at the $1 $2 table.

is that 3bi or 4bi up? u do that against the same opponents in a single session or is it diff opp/tables for like every 100 hands or so?
also how long have u been capping your winnings ?
tx :D
 
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heAdstroMan

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I think the only thing to consider is: do you play better or worse after a certain amount of time.

if you play worse or better after a certain amount of time then quit.
 
Akorps

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If you get tired, have a headache, take a bad beat or go on tilt, those are some of the times when it seems to be good to quit.
 
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cotta777

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Everyone has different concentration spans and thresholds and emotional control so that question is hard to answer.

I close down when Im losing enjoyment - for example if I was playing a game or playing pool for acouple of hours, I would stop when getting lethargic bored.. , take time to do omething productive and work out if im up for putting in an extra few hours
 
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Phoenix14

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is that 3bi or 4bi up? u do that against the same opponents in a single session or is it diff opp/tables for like every 100 hands or so?
also how long have u been capping your winnings ?
tx :D

It's about 8 depending on whether I buy in $60 or $100. Most casinos have a minimum buy in of $100 at the $1 - $2 table.
 
ccocco

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you would have to get goals, retire to win x amount of blind see your bankroll grows and if you put down new goals .. keep trying different nl, to keep growing.
 
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Izandurrrrrr

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For sure quit when ahead, up 200bb is enough, be smart and quit, or start over at a new table if you still want to play.
 
kmixer

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Also if you have been at the same table(s) for hours who else is also there for that period of time. Were you up a lot but now you have a whole new roaster of people at your table. Something to keep in mind. Have the fish gone to bed?
 
letderbefish

letderbefish

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Also if you have been at the same table(s) for hours who else is also there for that period of time. Were you up a lot but now you have a whole new roaster of people at your table. Something to keep in mind. Have the fish gone to bed?

not sure i understood what you said, can you rephrase plz
thats one of the reasons i started this thread, the tables at NL10/5 dont last very long, when 2 or more players are replaced or quit i leave the table too.
 
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