When to leave the poker table?

[Shamrock]

I can't tell you how many times I have been up $100-$150 playing 2/4 3/6 4/8 and only left with around $40. I am guess I am still figuring out when is when.

/s

[A_C_Slater]

If you are a winning player than theoretically the longer you play the more you make. I usually leave when I become bored (usually about 5 or 6 hours) regardless of how much I've won or lost. It's all irrelevant. When I first started playing in the casino I used to hit and run at the 5-10 if I was up over $150-200, even if I had been there for less than 2 hours and I still really wanted to play. I would leave. I was obsessed with always booking a winner.

My records would read like thisnot my actual records)

+95 2h
+90 1h
+110 2h
+80 3h
-25 3h
+95 2h
Total: +445 13h
But now they read more like this:

+180 6h
+370 6h
-225 3h
-90 5h
+165 6h
+220 7h

Total: +620 33h

As you can see it's the same number of sessions and yet the one with the greater number of hours has more money won.
When hitting and running I only lost one session, but I made less. If you are a winning player the only thing that changes are the fluctuations . Just quit whenever you become sick of playing or have something else to attend to.

[Dharzhak]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are a winning player than theoretically the longer you play the more you make.

[/ QUOTE ]

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." —Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut

Your statement infers that longer hours will have no effect on your hourly rate. However, your examples below, contest that fact.

[ QUOTE ]

Total: +445 13h
Total: +620 33h

As you can see it's the same number of sessions and yet the one with the greater number of hours has more money won.


[/ QUOTE ]

Note that in your first example, you make a $34.23/hr and in your second example, you make $18.78/hr. That's a rather alarming drop off, esp. when you consider that you spent an additional 20 hours to make $175.

Regards,
Noal

[A_C_Slater]

These were just made up figures as I indicated in parentheses in order to make a point. But yes the win rate per hour can drop, and yet you still make more money than you would by not playing. The whole point was that even if your winrate drops you will still make more money the longer you play, if you are playing good poker.

It is also possible that I could have gone 33 hours and lost money. There is no guarantee that you will sit down at at a 5-10 HE and even win a single pot after 3 hours.(This has happened to me once.) Therefore, the entire intent behind the "hit and run" is fallacious. You are no more likely to make money in your first hour than in your 10th hour at the table, assuming that fatigue is a non factor.

[steamboatin]

I struggle with the same thing. I have noticed that if I get significantly ahead and continue to play, I am very likely to bleed off chips. I just noticed it so I don't do yet if it is a leak or just normal variance.

Last I night, I ran really good against poor players and doubled my stack in less than two hours. I left the table, cashed out, went to dinner, came back and ran good again.

I don't know if the dinner break made any difference but I felt it was a good idea and that has to help.

[private joker]

[ QUOTE ]
I can't tell you how many times I have been up $100-$150 playing 2/4 3/6 4/8 and only left with around $40. I am guess I am still figuring out when is when.

/s

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. This used to be me until I realized that what it is is that the table has figured you out. They're not used to seeing TAG, thinking, 2+2-style players, so they're thrown off for the first hour and just hand you their money. Then after a while, they learn to stop giving you action when you're in the hand unless they have a monster. Then they'll let you bet it for them. It's not like all of a sudden your flush and straight draws stop coming after the first hour -- it's that you lose action on your good hands and gain action that you don't want on your marginal ones.

When you've made $150 on a loose 2/4 table after an hour or two and you notice everyone tightening up against you, just move tables and take the next suckers for another $100. Or just leave the casino. $150 is a nice 2-hour take.

[A_C_Slater]

This is a very good point. But im my experience the majority of the time the player's are so unaware that they continue to give loose action no matter how long you've been there winning. In fact when I'm at the table I usually verbally announce "The rock raises" then after getting 3 cold callers the flop comes K8A rainbow and I'll say "Oh boy you know that hit my AK hard" I will then bet to the river and see someone turn over pocket 7's.(I literally do this a third of the time I raise, verbally declaring what I have, and only half of that one third time am I lying.)

But I believe it is true that if you're at a table that is capable of adapting your winrate could suffer if they "figure you out" and stop cold calling with garbage.

[27offsooot]

... When you're staying at your father's place and feel compelled to return before he wakes up. Seriously though, I rarely get a chance to play live living in NC, so when I made the trip home (Philly) and had the chance to play at the Borgata, I stayed within the poker room for 15 str8 hours (12:30-3:30) without getting up for food. Fortunately, I did have a Baby Ruth and some twizzlers. I see everyone else capping their PT at like 6-8 hours. Do I have a problem?

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
... When you're staying at your father's place and feel compelled to return before he wakes up. Seriously though, I rarely get a chance to play live living in NC, so when I made the trip home (Philly) and had the chance to play at the Borgata, I stayed within the poker room for 15 str8 hours (12:30-3:30) without getting up for food. Fortunately, I did have a Baby Ruth and some twizzlers. I see everyone else capping their PT at like 6-8 hours. Do I have a problem?

[/ QUOTE ]

15 straight is no big deal. I know people who go on 24 hour + sessions. I think I read an interview where Phil Ivey will go on 72+ hour sessions.

[Dharzhak]

[ QUOTE ]
You are no more likely to make money in your first hour than in your 10th hour at the table, assuming that fatigue is a non factor.

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, Absolutely. However, if you're up well over 10BB in your first couple of hours, it's not necessarily unwise to leave earlier than planned, esp. when its more due to a streak of obscenely good cards than expert play.

Regards,
Noal