Good Session

[johnnybeef]

Im curious as to what the users of my favorite internet forum would define as a "good session" of poker playing. There is a reason why this question is so general. Be as specific or general as you feel necessary

Johnny

[Seether]

I think it depends on the duration and the setting (internet vs b&m), internet 4 tabling I consider a 25-50bb win as a solid good session.
Playing live I feel that 25bb is a good session.

[Harv72b]

I'm usually 1 tabling internet from 1-2 hours at a time, and I consider 10+BB to be a good session under those circumstances. 25BBs a great session, and anything in the green a decent one.

But this is more of a hobby for me at this point in time...I'm sure a pro or semi-pro would have different definitions.

[bisonbison]

nowadays, 2000 hands is a good session for me. 3000 is great. 1000 is alright, but I like to have a rationalization for stopping.

[johnnybeef]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it depends on the duration and the setting (internet vs b&m), internet 4 tabling I consider a 25-50bb win as a solid good session.
Playing live I feel that 25bb is a good session.

[/ QUOTE ]

is this for any length of time?

[sfer]

Zero bad decisions.

[Seether]

4 hours or so is normally what I consider my average session time. Of course it can vary but I would say on average thats how long it lasts.

[joker122]

one in which i play well. winning's nice, too.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

+$

[W. Deranged]

I really think of two different kinds of "good sessions." I play almost exclusively live hold'em, so this is for live games.

1. Money-- I will generally consider any sessions in which I may greater than about 2.5 or 3 BB per hour to be a very good session. For eight hours playing 5/10 (pretty standard for me... I have a hard time leaving a table), something over +$200 would be a very good session. Something over 5 BB/hour I would consider really good. Any time I cash up I'm not upset. Playing live, where you're playing fewer hands and so a winning player is more likely to have a down session, I expect to probably be down 1 out of every 3 sessions, so I'm happy whenever my last session wasn't that one.

2. I also judge sessions based on how many bad mistakes I felt I made. I am certainly not at the point where I feel I can play 6 hours mistake-free (I'll always be missing value bets on the river, taking off a turn card I shouldn't, getting too fancy with a check-raise, etc... a few times in that length of session... still learning). But, I do want to go every single session without making a mistake I consider to be very bad (calling turn and river bets with a hand that is clearly bad and doesn't have odds to go on, folding a winner on the river, losing money in a pot with a hand that I shouldn't have played in the first place, etc...). One way to think of it is mistakes that are 2BB +. For example, I had a five-hour session at Turning Stone playing 5/10 a couple of days ago +$175, by all estimates a very strong session, but I folded an unimproved AK on the river in a situation that I was obligated to call and it cost me a $70 pot. It ruined my session.

[johnnybeef]

i guess it is time for me to put in my two cents....i consider a good session as one in which i don't make any major mistakes. i feel good after a losing session in which i havn't made mistakes as i know that many other players would be down much more than i would be if in the same situation

[W. Deranged]

Absolutely. I remember a great session I once had at Foxwoods 2/4 where I played for 2 1/2 hours and did not win a single hand. Best hand I picked up was KQs which didn't connect. Not a single winner, or any hand that I should have won. All I lost was $90, and greater than half of that was from blinds, and I was very pleased with the discipline I showed in lasting that long.

[BottlesOf]

No way, that's a GREAT session, depending on length.

[BottlesOf]

Any session you can walk away from is a good session.

[River2Pair]

One where I am playing what I feel is my best poker. Not making silly calls, especially preflop, raising when I know I should raise, and folding when I know I should fold.

In terms of a 'good session' monetarily, the other day I won $185 in 45 minutes playing one table online 3/6. That was just getting strong hands against aggressive players, I didn't do anything especially well. It was a good session, though. I spent the rest of the evening with family who was visiting.

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

Two types of good sessions:

1) I win some bucks
2) There's at least one hand where I learn something new, or play a situation right that I hadn't before.

[Shillx]

All sessions are good since I'm usually drinking. It becomes really good when I make back the $$$ I spent of the beer for the day. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
+$

[/ QUOTE ]

What he said.

[Richard Berg]

Any time I hit a 2-outer against a thinking player.

[private joker]

[ QUOTE ]
Any session you can walk away from is a good session.

[/ QUOTE ]

Either this is a DIE HARD 2 reference, or I've seen DIE HARD 2 a few too many times.

[sfer]

No, a great session is 100% good decisions.

[BottlesOf]

Zero bad decisions vs. 100% good decisions?

Care to elaborate?

[Bob T.]

Good session = When I play well.

[ElSapo]

[ QUOTE ]
Either this is a DIE HARD 2 reference, or I've seen DIE HARD 2 a few too many times.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is 'both' an option?

[sfer]

You understand the difference between a good, okay, and bad decision, right?

[AviD]

Sitting with blue chips in the 10/20 game at the Borgata is a good decision.

Sitting with blue chips in the 10/20 game at the Borgata is an okay decision.

Sitting with blue chips in the 10/20 game at the Borgata is a bad decision.

Conversely, playing poker while under the influence of Tylenol PM and/or Nyquil...

So when are you julios going to the Borgata again? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[GrunchCan]

Any session I can walk away from is a good one.

edit: oops /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[B Dids]

Bison and sfer are correct and the rest of you are wrong /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Being results oriented is poopy. If you can go through a session making A LOT of GOOD decisions, that's quality.

My biggest problem right now is that I value money won over time spent. So I play 100 hands, I'm up 75 bucks ('cause even though I'm playing 3/6, I still have a hard time not thinking that winning 75 bucks is pretty cool) so I say "good session" and call it a night.

That attitude has really stunted my growth as a player, because I'm not putting in the hands I need to A- learn more B- make more $.

Sure, I'm happier when I can post a nice happy + number in my blog at the end of the day, but I (and YOU) need to start placing more value in the number I type in for hands played than the number I type in for bets won.

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Any session you can walk away from is a good session.

[/ QUOTE ]

Either this is a DIE HARD 2 reference, or I've seen DIE HARD 2 a few too many times.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought it was a flying reference -- the old pilot's saw. I don't remember it from DH2.