Learn Texas Holdem

Question: This is related to limit holdem (casinos over here do not offer no limit game).I would like to hear your opinion about when is time to leave the table if you winning? In my case, if I'm 80-100% of my starting bankrol ahead, I am out of the game - take a few hours of rest and back to the tables. It works realy well for me, but ill manered comments I'm constantly complimented by other players make me wonder why is wrong to take 2-3 moderate wininings per day instead playing all day (most of them play until ruin principle takes care about their bankrols.) Just to mention that I do not lose my whole bankroll often - in 2004 it happened only 3 times. I do, howevwer losing part (usualy 1/3-1/2) of my playing bankroll like once in 6 or 7 games.

Answer: Perfect! I've been waiting to open my big mouth on this question for a while. For years I have read articles in poker magazines, posts on websites/blogs and chapters in books about how the concept of "leaving when you are ahead" is a fallacy. Basically the argument is that your poker career is one long session and it makes no difference if you stop now or play your next hand tomorrow, it is all the same since mathematically, you have the same chance of getting a good cards on your next hand regardless of when you decide to play it.

Poker winnings, in their opinion, are measured by time. To win more, you just play more. If you compare your hours played with how much you have won, you get an hourly rate. Going along with that idea, it makes no sense to leave because the more you play the more you make, to leave early does nothing. I think this is a bunch of bs, I don't buy into it at all. I like leaving when I'm ahead, even if it cuts my session time down.

To accept the "anti-hit-and-run" idea I would have to believe that every table I play at is identical and every hour I play, I play the same way. Obviously that isn't he case. Right now they would stop me and say, "well if you look at your overall play at a certain limit, it should be adequately similar." I don't think so. Even after years of playing, each table I sit down at has it's own distinct characteristics because a game is made up of humans whom are anything but predictable. Poker is just as much about people as it is about numbers.

The byproduct of buying into this concept is that you treat yourself like a mechanical poker bot which actually has the effect of costing you money. What they fail to see is that winning breeds winning. Leaving a little earlier guarantees a win and can boost your moral for the next game. You stay sharp because you aren't grinding everyday 9-5 like a job. When you start playing at bigger levels, I think you'll discover that less is more. The less you play, the more likely you are to play well. Poker is very taxing on both your mind and body and it is my opinion that the quicker I can win my money and leave, the better. My skill level and awareness decline the longer I sit at the table.

I love playing but I love winning more. You've probably heard about people who play stocks and sell when they are 10% ahead. Some traders say to them, "are you crazy, you're missing out on all the huge rushes!" True, but you are also missing out on all the huge crashes. To each his own but my philosophy is that I would rather have a guaranteed win over a chance of winning a little more or losing some back. For example, let's say I just call it a day after playing for 3 hours and I'm up $1000 -- a typical solid win for that limit.

What have I cost myself by leaving now? Maybe I would have won an extra $500 or $750 had I stayed another 8 hours but I would rather take the safe $1000 and enjoy the time off. It is surprisingly easy to maintain this pace too, unlike treating poker as a job where you are required to clock in at 9 and leave at 5.

I set limits for myself, and like you, if possible I prefer to play smaller sessions instead of long ones. Shorter sessions keep me sharper and on top of the game much more than 12-24 hour binges. You don't burn out, the quality of your play is much higher and you don't go on tilt half as easily. On my regular sessions, I'll try to limit them to 4-6 hours online because I play multiple tables and a max of 8-10 hours offline. If I see myself up a lot already that day, I may just take off earlier. I tell other players that all the time when they are in slumps, "just win a rack and leave, you won't regret it later."