When do you leave a table?

kmixer

kmixer

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Total posts
2,936
Chips
0
What is the best way to determine the best time to leave the table. For example I had a buy in on a table of $2, saw about 8 aborts and was down 1/4 of my buy in. Should I be leaving based on the amount lost? Should I be staying based on number of orbits? Maybe the play is about to turn in my favor.

How do you determine when to leave and head for another table or even take a break?

On the same note when do you leave if you are doing well at a cerain table?
 
ajrobin

ajrobin

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Total posts
653
Chips
0
You shouldnt base when you stay/leave a table depeneding on how much money you win or lose. The biggest factor in deciding when to leave is the other players at the table. If i sat down at a table and there were three massive fish id hand around even if i got stacked twice. However if those three fish get stacked and leave im also going, even if ive tripled my buy in. Youll earn alot more money playing bad opponents then good (obv) and therefore if your tables become a nit-fest just stand up and go, you wont be making much profit at all.
 
PopeNegro

PopeNegro

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Total posts
89
Chips
0
I'm usually leaving if I have more than 10% of my roll on the table, unless there are still plenty of fish left for me to make even more profit at little risk.
 
RickH2005

RickH2005

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Total posts
1,088
Chips
0
When?

I will generally leave a table when I'm AHEAD!! No, really--Chris Ferguson has a great aricle on FT about BR mng. He says, and of course I agree, that when the pot reaches 10% of his BR (that may not be the complete case-ck on FT to be sure) he'll leave just before the blinds reach him! Also, he has more good advice on the subject I don't quite remember!
 
c9h13no3

c9h13no3

Is drawing with AK
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Total posts
8,819
Chips
0
I leave when the fish leave, and I'm sitting at a 6-max table with 5 nitty regulars.
 
M

Maddy

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
May 26, 2008
Total posts
25
Chips
0
I generally don't use up/down question as a guide to leaving. I know the bankroll bibles mention something to do with percentages and discipline but that doesn't really work for me.

I find that you should leave if you feel that you are being outplayed, or cannot play optimally for some other reason - say tilting. Whether you're up or down a session doesn't really matter because poker is about the long run of things. The exception is if the knowledge of being up or down begins to influence your decisions at the table.

Getting a big stack at a table gives you advantages and leaving because of bankroll rules (I'm not sure all people agree with this) sort of forfeits this advantage that you've had to work for.

Hope this helps :)
 
icemonkey9

icemonkey9

Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Total posts
3,023
Chips
0
I use Holdem Manager to display the VPIP stat for the whole table. Usually if it goes below 20% I try to find a new table ... of course I make sure that this is an accurate reflection of the table, sometimes I have 510 hands on a nit and the rest I have 50 (and some might be huge fish). Basically the theory is though as the table tightens up, I leave.
 
BelgoSuisse

BelgoSuisse

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Total posts
9,218
Chips
0
When you can't see who is the fish at the table, then it usually means it's you, and you should leave. On the other hand i don't necessarily leave a table because there is no loose fish left. A couple of super nits on my left and i will stay just to steal their blinds and show a decent profit.

To the OP: don't let your stack fall below your initial buy-in. Just reload as soon as you lose any amount. You sit at a cash table because you want to play a strategy that works well given your buy-in's depth. Keep that depth throughout the session.

About that, I tend to leave the tables when I get more than 200bb deep, unless i have a very good fish that i want to keep playing with. I'm just not too confortable this deep yet.
 
PokerVic

PokerVic

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Total posts
822
Chips
0
I'll leave a table if:

A) too many smart, aggressive players are at the table
B) if the table action dries up, and it's just the nits and me
C) if there's >2 empty seats at full ring
D) if I double my buy-in (unless the table is especially juicy)
 
TheNoob

TheNoob

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2008
Total posts
540
Chips
0
Speaking as one that swims, if I double my buy in I'm usually history.

Knowing my play is still marginal, I figure at this time it's best for my bankroll if I lock in profits and walk when I'm up.
 
c9h13no3

c9h13no3

Is drawing with AK
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Total posts
8,819
Chips
0
Speaking as one that swims, if I double my buy in I'm usually history.
This is the best advice ever. We'll leave when we're in a profitable situation, and stay when we're in a bad one.

Also, if you had the opportunity to play 50$ NL with a fish who plays 25$ NL, wouldn't you do it? What do you think 25$ NL is if you and the fish both have a 50$ stack. Who do you think is going to adjust better to playing 200bb deep, you or the fish?
 
BelgoSuisse

BelgoSuisse

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Total posts
9,218
Chips
0
This is the best advice ever. We'll leave when we're in a profitable situation, and stay when we're in a bad one.

Also, if you had the opportunity to play 50$ NL with a fish who plays 25$ NL, wouldn't you do it? What do you think 25$ NL is if you and the fish both have a 50$ stack. Who do you think is going to adjust better to playing 200bb deep, you or the fish?

Good point, but it's not that simple.

First, there's BRM issues. it's fun to play 50NL against a fish unless you are not rolled for 50NL and a bad beat is a significant blow to your BR.

Then, when you double up, it's usually because Mr fish just lost his stack to you, so his stack is still only $25 and you're still playing 25NL against the fish. But if there are good players at the table with big stacks, then your'e playing 200BB deep against them.

Also, the deeper you play the more easy it is for short stackers to exploit you, so their presence or not affects your decision.

When i double up i don't always leave and i don't always stay. I reevaluate the table and consider effective stack sizes against all my oppoenents.
 
Tygran

Tygran

Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Total posts
1,757
Chips
0
First, there's BRM issues. it's fun to play 50NL against a fish unless you are not rolled for 50NL and a bad beat is a significant blow to your BR.


If you are properly rolled for $25 NL... ONE bad beat at $50 NL shouldn't kill you.

And I highly recommend doing this.. I've played with a couple of just god awful players at $25 NL..done a search and seen them sitting at a $50 NL or $50 6 max table... I go sit as fast as possible.

Haven't done it in awhile and am playing $50 NL now regularly but I would do the same thing if I run into an ATM playing $50 who then goes and sits on a $100.

To play with a terrible player I have reads on above my bankroll I think is a longterm +EV play. You can always avoid playing hands (without the nuts) against anyone else at the table.


As far as the OP... I leave a table when the action dries up which is usually when the fish busts/leaves. I don't have any considerations for money won/lost or anything else like that. If you go on a roll at a $50 NL table and say end up with a stack of $200+... your effective stack is only as big as your opponent.. so what difference does it make how much you have on the table if you couldn't even put half of it in on one hand?
 
TheNoob

TheNoob

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2008
Total posts
540
Chips
0
This is the best advice ever. We'll leave when we're in a profitable situation, and stay when we're in a bad one.

Also, if you had the opportunity to play 50$ NL with a fish who plays 25$ NL, wouldn't you do it? What do you think 25$ NL is if you and the fish both have a 50$ stack. Who do you think is going to adjust better to playing 200bb deep, you or the fish?


First, I wasn't giving advice. As a student, I wouldn't post among teachers and try to present myself as cablabe of giving advice. In response to the OP, I was simply stating some of my criteria as to when I may leave a table.

Also, why do you only quote only the first line of my post, when the second line contains, imo, a valid qualifier?

If my play was better, staying in a winning situation would certainly make sense.

Until such time as my play is more dependable, I'll help my bankroll by locking in winnings.
 
c9h13no3

c9h13no3

Is drawing with AK
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Total posts
8,819
Chips
0
Fair enough. But generally, you don't want to sit down at a table where your "play is still marginal". You need to be game selecting so that you're sitting at a table where you have a skill edge on your competition. And when you have an edge on your competition (especially postflop), you want to be as deep as possible.
 
TheNoob

TheNoob

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2008
Total posts
540
Chips
0
Fair enough. But generally, you don't want to sit down at a table where your "play is still marginal". You need to be game selecting so that you're sitting at a table where you have a skill edge on your competition. And when you have an edge on your competition (especially postflop), you want to be as deep as possible.


Understood.

As far as selecting a game, staying in the micros is the best I can do to try and keep my competition somewhere in range.

By "game selecting" do you mean simply looking for big VP's? Or choosing between 6max or FR?

I am still quite a new player, and picking a table with fish smaller than I is a bit of a challenge.
 
c9h13no3

c9h13no3

Is drawing with AK
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Total posts
8,819
Chips
0
Understood.

As far as selecting a game, staying in the micros is the best I can do to try and keep my competition somewhere in range.

By "game selecting" do you mean simply looking for big VP's? Or choosing between 6max or FR?

I am still quite a new player, and picking a table with fish smaller than I is a bit of a challenge.
Well, when I'm picking tables at 25$ NL, I use the first 10 hands at the table to figure out if I have a loose fish on my right or not. If I don't, I'll usually change tables.

And yeah, by game selecting I mean picking a table that has easily beatable competition.
 
Merlin333

Merlin333

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Total posts
167
Chips
0
Very interesting and informative post. It makes the perfect counter-point to the billion "I hate fish I'm quitting poker" posts I read everyday. It makes perfect sense. Pop quiz, who do you sit down with - Ivey, Lindgren,Cunningham,Chan and Hansen (or whoever you think are good players) or with a table of players all chasing 49os to the river. I'd pick the latter and stifle the whining if my AA got caught on the river.

More people would read this!!!

One question (I guess this shows how out of the loop I am) what is a nitfest - I never heard of that in this context before??

Merlin333:cool:
 
Last edited:
iamays

iamays

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 16, 2008
Total posts
86
Chips
0
Since poker is mostly a situational game, I tend to leave the table when the situation is no longer profitable or when I've hit my limit. If there's a few deep stacks in a cash game and the table is tight, I might not stick around. However, if the table is real loose and the competition seems amatuer then I'll stay for awhile.
 
D

dgoldman90

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Total posts
7
Chips
0
Well, you shouldn't base whether or not you leave on if you are up or down. And since poker is very much a game of chance of probability, if you lose many hands in a row, it doesn't mean your next one has a higher chance of being better. Usually it means that the other people at the table are playing better than you and you should leave. However, if you are making money, don't necessarily leave because you might just be playing better than the others at the table.
 
G

glworden

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Total posts
619
Chips
0
I leave the table if . . .

I have to pee
 
S

stevie_is_god

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Total posts
34
Chips
0
i judge my time to leave completely based on the players in the table.

even if i make my buy-in 4x what it started as, i figure im playing well and someone at the table is obviously giving chips away, lol
 
quintass

quintass

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Total posts
339
Chips
0
I will usually leave the table if:

1) My chair "squeaks" :(
2) I've got to fart really loud :rolleyes:
3) The buffet line has only 3 people in it :eek:
4) The Wayne Newton shows is about to start :star:

No really, card dead, out of money or +3x my invest
 
deadhxc

deadhxc

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Total posts
860
Chips
0
playing on the micro tables I leave usually when one of 2 things happen

I lose my buy in
I triple my buy in
 
I

indamixxxxx

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
Total posts
5
Chips
0
My Probnlem is when i gget stuck...i tend to stay and keeeeep getttin abused....feeeeling tyhat my luck will turn aaround but it never does...thanx for all the tipps i will use them
 
Top