How can I help control myself???

[skiier04]

Okay well I'm a winning small stakes player with only around a $350 bankroll. I mainly play $10 SNG's or >$5 MTT's. The problem I've been having is occasionally when I suffer a tough beat, or just for the hell of it, go way over my limit and play something like a $50 or $100 heads up match or $50 SNG. I've been lucky so far, as I've been able to place/win many of my high stakes excursions. I know this luck will not hold up though, as I am almost positive I am nowhere near as good as the players at those limits. What can I do to stop myself from doing this in the future, because if I dont, I fear my bankroll will be in serious jeopardy. Thanks in advance.

[Joshssj4]

Inevitably, with such a small bankroll, you will lose it all using these methods. This is nothing but tilt. Before taking one of these risks, as I often do which ultimately ends in tragedy, tell yourself to relax. Take a walk, go for a smoke, make some food. Just take a break. The goal in this is to clear your mind and regroup. You must keep your priorities straight and not resort to idiotic/dangerous methods of rebuilding your bankroll.

[LoosenUp]

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Okay well I'm a winning small stakes player with only around a $350 bankroll. I mainly play $10 SNG's or >$5 MTT's. The problem I've been having is occasionally when I suffer a tough beat, or just for the hell of it, go way over my limit and play something like a $50 or $100 heads up match or $50 SNG. I've been lucky so far, as I've been able to place/win many of my high stakes excursions. I know this luck will not hold up though, as I am almost positive I am nowhere near as good as the players at those limits. What can I do to stop myself from doing this in the future, because if I dont, I fear my bankroll will be in serious jeopardy. Thanks in advance.

[/ QUOTE ]

Drink a few beers. If your smart you will not play after drinking even the slightest of alcohol, this will buy you some time to cool off. Sounds silly, but I find this to work. That is the one solid dependable discipline I have in regards to poker, not playing while drinking. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[BZ_Zorro]

Sit down at two $5 limit Sit n Gos and auto raise every hand, every street. Show your hand every time. This is what I do after a few bad beats, the abuse you receive is very satisfying. You usually end up winning if you stop when you get a huge stack, to everyone's disgust and dismay.

[Dan Mezick]

Write down your rules for bankroll management and print them out and tape them to the wall right in front of your face.

If you do not want to honor your rules, do not write them down. Then you can just pretend you have rules.

Here's a couple to consider:

1. I can play in any tournament for which I have 30 buyins or more in my bankroll.

2. When I have over 50 buyins at my current stakes level, I can choose to take shots at higher stakes, unless and until my bankroll equals 35 buyins at my current level. if that happens I cannot take any side trips until I am back to 50 buyins.

Here you greatly reduce risk of ruin, reward yourself for playing well at current stakes, and protect your roll from major damage that could force you to play lower.

The trick here is keeping your agreements. Warning: If you set up rules and break them, you are in far worse shape than when you started.

Sample rules for Limit:

1. I can play at any stakes that I have 300 BB to play with.

2. If and when I lose 30 BB in a single session, I stop playing for at least 4 hours.

3. If I lose more than (your number here) BB in a single day, I take (your number here) days off.

4. If I lose more than (your number here) BB in a single week, I take (your number here) days off.

(3) and (4) are emotional circuit-breakers. Some personality types need these rules. Bankroll rules are not one size fits all, so when someone you respect says stop-win or stop-loss rules are total BS, it may be true for them but not true for you.

Understand your risk tolerance and emotional control panel.

Then create rules that work well for your profile. Then honor them.

If you want lots and lots of dramatic bankroll episodes, then dont define any rules. Then you'll have no agreements to honor, and you can do whatever you want, with the results you are getting now.

[popniklas]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Svar till:</font><hr />
Sit down at two $5 limit Sit n Gos and auto raise every hand, every street. Show your hand every time. This is what I do after a few bad beats, the abuse you receive is very satisfying. You usually end up winning if you stop when you get a huge stack, to everyone's disgust and dismay.

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But won't they call you down most of the time?

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Sit down at two $5 limit Sit n Gos and auto raise every hand, every street. Show your hand every time. This is what I do after a few bad beats, the abuse you receive is very satisfying. You usually end up winning if you stop when you get a huge stack, to everyone's disgust and dismay.

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But won't they call you down most of the time?

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If i'm correct in reading this, the point is not to actually win the tournaments, although it may be a bonus.

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Some personality types need these rules. Bankroll rules are not one size fits all, so when someone you respect says stop-win or stop-loss rules are total BS, it may be true for them but not true for you.

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Stop-win or stop-loss rules are not BS if you understand that poker is not defined on a session-by-session basis. One player I know who is considering going (against all my recommendations) professional treats every session the same, and averages his sessional wins and losses (losing 30BB in an hour-long session and making 30BB in a 24-hour session makes him a "break-even" player). What he fails to realize (and this will ultimately be his downfall) is that the session never really ends.

Stop-loss is a good way to protect yourself from going on tilt, or from passing the point of no return where you stop feeling the amount that you are losing. The less you play in a bad state of mind, the more you can play when in a good state of mind.

Stop-win doesn't make much sense in fixed limit games, but in big-bet games it can actually have some merit. I personally don't play a big stack well. So when I'm up a lot of money, I'm playing worse poker and more of my money is at risk. Getting out of the game at this point means playing less in a bad state, so I can play more when I'm in a good state. I suppose that's kind of like game selection.

The same player I mentioned above says that he switches tables (easy to do online) when he feels his image is no longer good and players are starting to adjust to him. I'm not sure if this idea has any legitimacy.

Don't be intimidated by the myth of the ultimate poker player. You are proabably just as good as anyone you will play on any limit table no matter how high. Just be patient and hope the cards fall your way. That simple.

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You are proabably just as good as anyone you will play on any limit table

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Being "just as good" isn't good enough to win consistently. You must be better than your opponents in order to turn a win; otherwise, the only winner is the house.