Questions on when to stop

1. Does anybody quit whenever they win a certain amount of money like a stop/win?

2. I heard it's good to come into a game w 30 times the big blind, and call it a day if you lose it. Shouldn't there be a limit to amount when you win taken to account that you are tired, not focusing and what not, or played too long even though it is still a good game? Any of you winning players do this?

3. I am prone to playing higher than my limits when I lost at a lower limit to try to make it up or go on tilt. What should I do to help stop this? I was thinking about EVERY single time I get a bad beat, I should take a walk.

4. I'm taking an advise from a response saying I should only start again online when I have 300 times the bb. I am going to do this along w poker tracker. Any response?

[SNOWBALL138]

If you are taking a shot at a higher limit game that is a very good game, it could be a good idea not to play in it indefinitely, especially if quitting will help "lock it up" so that you can permanently move to the higher limit game fairly soon. Of course, its a good idea to keep certain things in mind like how big your edge is.

I'm in the middle of taking shots at the semi-frequent ultra juicy 5/10 games that pop up online. I usually only get into the games when they are super juicy. Like if I'm heads up with a fish or at a full table with 2 or more very bad players.

Tonight, I left a 7 card stud game after beating this fish because a pretty good player sat down, and I didn't want to play 3 handed with him, even if the fish was involved. I don't know if I made the right decision, but I think I made my decision for the right reasons.

As for quitting when you are down a certain amount, this is often a good idea for newer players. That way, when you lose you can reflect on mistakes you made or just spend some time reading a poker book or something else.

You can take a walk when you get a bad beat if that works for you. You'll probably end up missing your "free hands" that you paid for with your blind, and that can be pretty expensive. I don't really recommend taking a walk though.
If you are in the kind of mood where losing a big pot is going to mess with you, then you are probably already on tilt, or dramatically underfinanced.

One way to not get angry about losing a hand is to respect your opponents. Poker is a social game, and everyone is going to win a certain amount of hands. Accepting that is part of being a good poker player, and part of being a decent human being. Developing a good sense of humor helps too.

However, the best way to cope with losses is just to play more. Thats how I learned. Between playing a lot of hands, posting on this forum, and maintaining my mental health, I play better poker and don't get frustrated way too much.

You don't need 300bb to play online or anywhere else. This number is just made up. If you want to figure out what your bankroll should be, play with poker tracker and get data on yourself.

Here's how to calculate what your bankroll should be:

first, take your standard deviation (in big bets) per hour or per 100 hands. Then multiply it by itself. Take that number and multiply it by nine. Call this figure X.

Then take your winrate per hour (in big bets) or per 100 hands and multiply it by four. Call this figure Y.

Now take X and divide it by Y. That number is how many BB you should have. Since you are probably a new player, don't expect to win when you play. Also, don't feel ashamed if you lose. Try to enjoy the game, and don't let it mess with your life.

Cheers,
Snowball

[Sciolist]

I like your bankroll outlook, but to get any kind of accurate numbers, you need a large hand sample. To get a large hand sample, you need a sensible bankroll, and 300bb is a good place to start. Bankroll sizes are also less important if you're losing anyway, obviously.

1. The logic is flawed behind a stop-win. If you are a winning player, you will make money whenever you play regardless of whether you finish a particular session up or down. If the game is good and you are alert, stay. If the game is tough or you are tired/tilting, leave. Easier said than done. Make a point of re-evaluating the quality of the game every 30 hands or so. More information on measuring the quality of a game here (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2966113&page=&view=&s b=5&o=&vc=1).

2. 30BB is a general rule to keep you from going on tilt or playing too long in a tough game. Losing 30BB isn't the reason for leaving the game; it is an indicator that you should seriously re-evaluate the quality of the game in which you are playing. "Shouldn't there be a limit to amount when you win taken to account that you are tired, not focusing and what not, or played too long even though it is still a good game?" The only thing you should pay attention to is whether or not you are tired, whether or not you are focussing, or whether or not you have played too long. There is no dollar amount that can act as an indicator here. It is possible that the game is good but you are not in good condition; so you need to take this into account when measuring the quality of a game.

3. Higher limit games are generally tougher than lower limit games. Take shots when you are running well (it is at those times that you are most likely playing your best) and take breaks when you are running poorly (it is at those times that you are most likely playing your worst). Every time you get a bad beat, confirm to yourself that you played the hand the best way possible. If you did, then you will earn bets from these plays over the long run. Therefore, there is no reason to be upset as you just made a profitable play. If you are still upset, then yes, a walk is a good idea. If you realize you didn't play the hand well, then take a walk and force yourself to play better when you return. If you cannot, then take a minimum 24-hour break.

4. 300BB is a good guideline for professionals. Depending on the limits at which you are playing, you may not need this much. I am assuming you are a part-time player at low-stakes. If this is true, then you may not need 300BB. If you have another salary, then your small BR is more-easily replaced by other sources than a large BR. This means that you may have a virtual 300BB BR even though it's not a physical one. I would typically follow the advice of 150BB for taking a shot at a new limit, and I think that this would apply well for moving online as well.

[Harv72b]

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1. Does anybody quit whenever they win a certain amount of money like a stop/win?

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I shouldn't, but I often do. This usually happens when I'm not really in the mood to be playing poker, but force myself to do my hours anyway...if I get on a hot run early in the planned session, I'll often just tell myself that I've "won enough" for the night, and shut down. On an intellectual level I realize that I'm costing myself money by doing that (if I win that many bets that quickly, then unless I've caught some miracle hands it generally means that the table is very lucrative), but on a personal level I'm happy just logging a 50 BB (or whatever) win for the night. That's something I need to work on.

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2. I heard it's good to come into a game w 30 times the big blind, and call it a day if you lose it. Shouldn't there be a limit to amount when you win taken to account that you are tired, not focusing and what not, or played too long even though it is still a good game? Any of you winning players do this?

[/ QUOTE ]

We could debate the first part of your statement for days--if the table is that good and you're not tilting, then it's rarely a good idea to call it quits, even if you've lost 30 BBs (I generally buy in with 25). There are arguments that favor stopping your session, though.

As far as having a concrete "stop win", this is not a good idea unless you know that you are the type of player who will lose focus and start playing too conservatively after logging a certain amount of profit in a session. In that case, then yes, you should quit...but you should also work on fixing that leak. The truly successful players (the ones who earn a living playing poker) know that you need the long sessions where you're running hot & up against poor opponents to offset the inevitable downswings.

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3. I am prone to playing higher than my limits when I lost at a lower limit to try to make it up or go on tilt. What should I do to help stop this? I was thinking about EVERY single time I get a bad beat, I should take a walk.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do whatever it takes to stop this. If it's taking a walk, then get to it.

Chasing losses is bad enough, but jumping up to a higher limit (and usually one where you're not properly bankrolled) is an excellent way to bust yourself. I'm most of the way through my first reading of Zen and the Art of Poker, and that's helped me to come to grips with the fact that you are going to suffer losing sessions in poker. Remember--the games will still be there tomorrow.

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4. I'm taking an advise from a response saying I should only start again online when I have 300 times the bb. I am going to do this along w poker tracker. Any response?

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300 big bets (not big blinds) is the accepted bankroll for limit hold'em, assuming you are a winning player. If you are not a winning player, then there is no such thing as a big enough bankroll. The 300 BB rule takes into account the likelihood of your suffering a major downswing, and will (usually) enable you to survive it without busting. However, downswings of more than 300 BBs do occur, even for very good players, so many players (in particular those who depend on their poker income) like to keep a much larger bankroll.

Poker Tracker is an excellent tool, and in my opinion, no online player should be without it.