When to quit during a poker session

There have been times when I've started to run good (ring games) due to either hitting my draws more than I should be, or just getting a little lucky (though I'm utilizing correct pot odds). I'm up money, but I keep playing anyways... Doesn't poker always "equalize" in the long run, for example if you hit 5 open ended straight draws in a row it seems that you will miss your next 15. I was wondering if it was smart to just quit playing in a session when you've had a good run and know that you'll be the one who will be outdrawn soon. Maybe every session should be treated like this, when you're up more than say 8bb/100, just stop playing so you don't lose the money you've gained. I don't know, it's just an idea. I've had too many experiences where I start out in the first hour up a lot of money, then to lose it the next hour.

P.S - I'm not referring to making bad decisions when up a lot of money, I'm talking about the general percentages of poker catching up to you. Is this correct thinking or does it not matter when you stop and when you keep playing since in the end the number of hands played will be the same?

[idrinkcoors]

I've thought the exact same thing. It's as if you think that your good luck has already come, and you're "due" for some bad beats. IMO, there is nothing wrong with taking an 8bb profit and leave happy. The only thing that you are not taking into consideration is the "juicyness" of the game. If you are up 8bb and at a table full of drunk fish, don't leave.

[A_C_Slater]

Right. So if you're a winning player the less you play the more you'll win!

No, wait....

That can't be right.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh......

it equalizes in the loooooong run. I still feel this way sometimes, so when I do, I leave those tables, and go into new ones with my usual max buyin

[The Goober]

Suppose we're sitting around flipping coins and I happen to get 10 heads in a row. Would you take less than a 1:1 payout on a bet that the next flip is a head?

[Xhad]

Just because you are having good luck, and that your luck is probably going to even out in the long run, doesn't mean that it is going to even out today. I've had a day where I made over 60 BB in one eight hour session, just think how much money I would have lost if I decided to stop-win myself after two hours.

[chekthastak]

I've thought this too, even during a session I think "I hit my last 2 flush draws, should I fold for this draw although I'm getting good odds?"

Obviously you should still call, because mathematically it's the correct play, and you'll won't get a chance to catch your 3rd flush in a row without seeing the next card.

I also think if you are having a big winning session and you are playing with observant players they will take notice that you are constantly showing down winners so they'll be more likely to let you take down pots without a showdown. Doyle talks about this in SS, and I believe it to be true. There are just those days when you are hitting seemingly every flop and the other players will take notice and you may be able to steal a few pots with bluffs that on other days you would have got called on.

I remember 1 day about 2 months I played for about 4 hours in a live game and I caught about 9 or 10 pocket pairs and only 2 times that I saw the flop I didn't flop a set, and I won those pots anyway because I had Aces and Queens. I also busted 2 guys showing a set, and I was sitting with a huge stack. The other players noticed this and I was able to get players to lay down hands I knew were better than mine.

It's like after a while the other players at the table get programmed to seeing you win and don't want to risk their entire stack to find out if this was the time you didn't have a hand.

[Girchuck]

If you think, your luck is going to run out any minute, you might have a problem.
Here is what you can do when you are ahead after a short time. You should do it anyway. Identify weak players. Play until most of these weak players bust out or leave and are replaced with unknowns. As soon as there are no more than 1 or 2 identified weak players left on the table, employ the ratchet. Simply note the chips in front of you and set a stiff stop-loss. If by the time you are busted down to your stop-loss limit you fail to identify more weak players, change the table. Also, change the table if many stong players are on it. Proceed until you no longer feel like playing

[MTBlue]

good post

[Kaeser]

[ QUOTE ]
Doesn't poker always "equalize" in the long run, for example if you hit 5 open ended straight draws in a row it seems that you will miss your next 15.

[/ QUOTE ]

The deck has no memory so just because you have made your last five flushes that in no way influences your chances of making your current flush.

This is a very common misconception and you see it in the reverse as well. You see it in degenerate gamblers who feel that they've lost so much they're due for a big win soon if they just keep playing.