I recently had a live session 1/2 game 100 buy in. I ran it up to 1000 and defended my stack with slight up and down. But for some reason I started bleeding chips and only walked away with about 580 not complaining at all so lucky. But my question is how come I didnt cash out at 1000. I had 10x my buyin. I am beating myself up for giving almost half away on draws. What happened and how do I get better at leaving when way ahead. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated???

its always hard to stop when u on a heater and even harder to stop when u start bleeding.

I believe that you have to make some kind of withdrawal when the amount you are going to withdraw does not affect your bankrool to play, because if you do not leave enough buy-ins to support the variance of the game it may be complicated for you.

This is just another form of tilt. Many people think that tilt is always related to bad beats and downswings but it can also happen when you are on heater. You become overconfident and from some point on you decide that today you just can't loose. Discipline is what is needed here. When you feel that you start bleeding chips and your game is no longer optimal you should get out with the winnings.

Originally Posted by Sdub2020

I recently had a live session 1/2 game 100 buy in. I ran it up to 1000 and defended my stack with slight up and down. But for some reason I started bleeding chips and only walked away with about 580 not complaining at all so lucky. But my question is how come I didnt cash out at 1000. I had 10x my buyin. I am beating myself up for giving almost half away on draws. What happened and how do I get better at leaving when way ahead. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated???

Try this formula:
You started with 100. That also means you can afford to lose 100 maximum.
In your case you reached 1000. Now would you stop playing and cash out? The answer is NO. You should continue playing. In order to stop playing you need to lose 100 (the amount you can afford to lose).
Once you have reached 1000 you can only cash out when your balance goes down to 900. That still makes you a handsome profit.
You can try this formula in other situations also. For example, you started with 100 and reached 150. Then you started going down. Would you stop playing to save your 100. Again the answer is No. You need to lose 100 before you quit. Here, you quit when your balance goes down to 50. Still you would be saving 50 of your investment.
I hope this will give you an idea when you need to cash out.
Best of luck.

In general I dont think, being up is a good reason to leave a game, and certainly not if the game is still good. If the game is somehow no longer good, or if you have an unadventageous situation like having another good deep stacked player on your left, that is the time, where you should consider leaving. There is also a social element to this, as it can be perceived badly by some players to "hit and run" in a live poker game. And if you are a professional or semi-professional player, it is rather important to "keep your customers happy".

It will always be a difficult decision to withdraw money ... and I think that the amount and when to do it will depend a lot on your stated goals ... I think the important thing will always be to have a healthy banckroll capable of resisting any bad streak we might have ... and then from there make withdrawals of the money earned ...!

many times I happen to make a lot of chips with a small stake and lose everything, but also to stay through and earn a lot. socializing and enjoying the game is essential

When I am playing live poker, I am on vacation. It also means my wife is at the spa or shopping...either way, it costs me money. If I get 5 hours of poker, I tend to take the entire time, whether I am up or down. Instead of leaving the table, you should have tightened your play...being up big does not mean play too loosely.