Is there a way to turn off the cash game feature on any poker site?

My online track record is simple. If my hands hold in the prime situations, or I don't make a position shove into aa,kk etc, i can turn 50 into 750 in a day playing always on sng's on tilt.

Then for some dumb reason, I sit down at 1/2 a 2/4 no limit game, get myself in a massive cooler hand with a monster and lose everything in a matter of minutes. i deposit til im broke to try and win it back and then i cool off for like 3 weeks. i throw 50 in their and cycle starts over again. my opr is so nasty becuase scheduled ive probably won about 5k since i started but ive lost it all back in cash games or the few series of bad beats.

All i want is to have the .01/.02 hold em tables open on my account so i can turn my last dollar into 3.30 and play the 90 man knockout. Is there anyway to do this or does any1 have tips to teach myself self control to not play online cash.

Why do you sit down at tables where your risking your WHOLE bankroll?
If you literally cant trust yourself to stay away from cash games, then your a compulsive gambler, not a poker player. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but its true. Especially if your depositing more than you can afford, as you say you are.
I'd suggest putting a limit on your account ($20 a week maybe?) so your playing for fun again.
The other suggestion is getting some help for your addiction.
Good luck, look up some posts on bankroll management (BRM).

By the way, if premium hands always held up, and you never shoved into 'AA KK etc' then anyone could turn $50 into $750. It'd mean there was no skill or luck in the game, just wait for a high card and shove. lol

kevkojak said:

The other suggestion is getting some help for your addiction.

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+1.

if you can't control the amounts you play with, you probably should not be playing poker or do any kind of gambling.

If you do want to keep on playing - and i doubt you should - you need to learn proper bankroll management, otherwise, you will always be going busto. If you have some notions of math, check out Wikipedia to figure out why.

Just so you know, i personally want a bankroll of at least $7000 to consider sitting at a $1/$2 nl table, $14000 for $2/$4, and that's not even very conservative. With $750, you should be playing $0.10/$0.25 at most.

To answer your specific question, pokerstars allows you to restrict the higher cash limits you want to be able to play. It's in Requests/Responsible Gaming/Restrict Table Limit. I'm not aware of any other room that offers this.

I have to apologise 'coz it sounded a little harsh what I said!
I had a similar prob when I first started out ([playing out of limits...not chasing losses) which is how I know about deposit restrictions. If you still enjoy the game then set one up, $20 a week max, $50 a month max. These take 7 days to change too, so you'll have time to reflect your losses rather than simply deposit more while your still hot over a big loss.
Good luck to you.

Also, you need to forget about any dreams of easy money you may have. Poker is not easy money.

The best player at $2/$4 no limit (nanonoko) earns about $20/hour in the long term (per table). But that's only long term. There are days where he earns several thousands of dollars and days when he looses several thousands of dollars playing just as well, but having some tough luck.

When you turn $50 into $750 in a single day, you're not proving to anyone that you are a decent poker player. You're just riding short time luck until variance catches you up and gets you busto.

To exercise good bankroll management, you should never spend > 2% of your bankroll on any sit&go or tournament.

Also, once you're on tilt and not playing as you usually do, it's probably time to walk away for a while. Poker isn't a game where you can always win - there are GOING to be losses. How you react to them is the key. You definitely don't want to do like blackjack players where you lose and then bet DOUBLE the next hand to try and get even, then double again if you lose again, etc.

bredstik said:

To exercise good bankroll management, you should never spend > 2% of your bankroll on any sit&go or tournament.

Also, once you're on tilt and not playing as you usually do, it's probably time to walk away for a while. Poker isn't a game where you can always win - there are GOING to be losses. How you react to them is the key. You definitely don't want to do like blackjack players where you lose and then bet DOUBLE the next hand to try and get even, then double again if you lose again, etc.

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yea i really didnt think about it that way. i dont ever win at cash just at tournies. the pipe dream is gone now. i appreciate the time guys a lot. what i needed to hear. thx

I'd say for the lower stakes more like 25 buy in's, so closer to 4% of roll.
Obv. less for cash games, (your 2% bredstik) but as its easy to deposit another $50 (sorry to contradict myself slightly!) I'd play slightly more aggressive in the lower stakes and follow strick BRM once you've established a tidy bankroll.
That doesn't mean you should be donking off chips at higher levels like you have been! lol. Stick to sensible amounts, your never gonna be an overnight millionaire in this game.

brianlws said:

i deposit til im broke to try and win it back

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I suggest a variety of gambling help agencies. As soon as you "deposit until you win it back," you're gambling, are on massive tilt, and can no longer play poker properly. Once you loose money, it is gone. Do not try to "win it all back." It will come back over time. You cannot win it all back the next hand. Poker is tough like that, but that's why poker is for the mentally resilient.

No proper BRM = sure to go broke 99%

Reload until broke in order to win it all back = no money left for food and rent.

Can't you see that you've got a gambling problem ?

If you continue something knowing it's bad for you and can't stop (be it alcohol, drugs, gambling) you're hooked.:deal:

Suggestion: Stop playing for a set time (a week, a month) and restart using proper BRM, if you can't do that seek help.

kevkojak said:

I'd say for the lower stakes more like 25 buy in's, so closer to 4% of roll.
Obv. less for cash games, (your 2% bredstik) but as its easy to deposit another $50 (sorry to contradict myself slightly!) I'd play slightly more aggressive in the lower stakes and follow strick BRM once you've established a tidy bankroll.
That doesn't mean you should be donking off chips at higher levels like you have been! lol. Stick to sensible amounts, your never gonna be an overnight millionaire in this game.

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I remember reading a good article written by Mike Caro about bankrolls and how important it is to protect them. He said when you have a small bankroll, it is ok to risk it all on one buy in since it can easily be replaced. Once you have a sizeable BR you must do a better job of protecting it. As your roll grows, so should your BRM rules.

jordanbillie said:

I remember reading a good article written by Mike Caro about bankrolls and how important it is to protect them. He said when you have a small bankroll, it is ok to risk it all on one buy in since it can easily be replaced. Once you have a sizeable BR you must do a better job of protecting it. As your roll grows, so should your BRM rules.

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Yes, but I think Caro defines "small bankroll" as one that means virtually nothing to you, like the amount you'd spend on a normal weekend entertainment night.

I don't think this applies as much to online personally just IMO - it's too easy to re-deposit over and over again. Much better to work with whatever you decide to deposit with the assumption that you will manage only that deposit for your poker lifetime on that site - which means proper BRM from the start of whatever you decide to deposit.

Those of you with a substantial bankroll who never had to deposit, because you started completely from ground zero (freeroll) - I hate you. I have deposited multiple times due to poor BRM - I now believe that I will never have to do that again.

Good Luck with your poker quest.

But as many above said...you MUST dig deep down and just stop playing the cash games, or stop playing the ones out of your bankroll limits.

You must do it yourself without the govt or pokersite to hold your hand.

Hope you can get it done!!!

The simple solution is to play at a site like "Spade Club" or "Club WPT" or "NLOP" where there are NO cash games, only tourneys. Then you won't be tempted....

Many sites allow you to create a play money only account.

In fact many restrict you to play money only until you can provide proof of identity for a money account.

So just try a few new sites, there are thousands of them to choose from, you might even find one you like the look and feel of better.