When to leave a table?

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
The good sense of Mason's essay, notwithstanding, I think that I will continue to apply the Annie Duke/Howard Lederer rule of 30 Big Bets. Down 30, either I have misidentified some other players as the fish or the cards are running so badly against me that there is no hope.

[/ QUOTE ]

I generally agree with the principle that you should keep playing when the game is good and quit when it isn't. I would never say it is time to quit just because I am up XX BBs. But the down-30 rule may be a good way of quantifying (or waking you up to) the fact that the game is bad and you need to leave. This can overcome the denial factor, thinking I've been sucked out and getting bad cards, and I'll make it all up soon when I get some cards.

The other thing is that if you are down that far, it becomes obvious to all but the totally unconscious fish, and they start to play you like a loser, putting you into a death spiral. At the very least, I agree that some kind of down-XX alarm should be cause to stop and seriously reconsider this game. And it probably means you should quit for the day, or take a break and find another game. I don't do it that formally, but I make the standard 25BB buy-in online, and if I get much below 10, I'm usually out of there. There are always more fish in the sea.

[MBTIGUY]

Back in the day of playground hoops, we coined a phrase - "the one game too many". That was the game we were playing that we all knew we no longer had the enthusiasm, energy, and even ability for despite how much we all obsessed over basketball. The "one game too many" always sucked and left us with a bad taste for the entire session of games. Add the fact that we'd be back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, etc., etc. and you have no reason to play the one game too many.

I've adopted that same principle to my poker sessions. Aside from a financial end point (for me it's 20BB), there is some point where I realize my energy and enthusiasm for a game I love is no longer there, regardless of how much I'm up or down. That will affect my play, not to mention my enjoyment, so I stop before I play the "one (or more) game too many", that ruins the entire session. Just as with the playground, because of online games I can play the next day, and the next day, etc.

[Leo Bello]

Annie´s Duke 30 BB is one I am trying to follow.
I have had moments of deciding to leave a table when I was winning but other opponents were good as well. At a 0.50/1 table last week, I played tight aggressive for the first hands (low VP$IP but when I had the hands, I made bet and raises and or made people fold or won with the hand), and in like 25 minutes I was up 32 dollars. I said, well all is going well, let me continue here. Two things, people started to not call my early bets, and call only when I was beaten, and another new player, very aggressive came into play and has begun raising all flops and winning a lot.
Psychology... I began losing a few, and decided to leave while I still had control and my stack. Actually it was a good decision also cause of image. On the next day, I happened to play at the same table form a guy from the nigh before. After a couple of hands, he said I was with you yesterday, you rocked at the table. I don´t need to say that some hands later he was folding to every raise I made and I ended up with another nice catch of BBs in hand.
Irt was the good image. Maybe if I stood in that table longer the day before, the image would be weaker the next day.

Just two more cents.

[PDosterM]

One thing a formula based on results can do for you is to compensate for an inability to distinguish between bad play and bad luck (or between good play and good luck). But it can’t be plus or minus the same number of bets (like plus or minus 30 big bets). It has to be something like “leave after you lose 20 big bets or win 40 big bets.” This would have the effect of having you play longer in favorable games than in unfavorable ones. Over enough games, the luck factor washes out and the game texture dominates.

I’m not recommending this, just pointing out that plus or minus the same amount accomplishes little.

[skcubrats]

I was playing 4/8 hold'em on a Casino boat in Florida, well the Atlantic actually, and was down about $50. I was bored and considered quitting and playing craps or blackjack. I am not really into those games, so I decided to stick with poker some more, won a few pots and finished up $160 for the trip.
ON this and on my Atlantic City trips(bus), I am constrained to a time period--usually 4-6 hours. I try to play poker for the whole time. I guess if I busted out my buy-in I might switch tables or games, but that hasn't happened yet.