Changing tables to increase earnings?

i've been playing low-stakes online limit poker for over a year now and I've discovered <font color="red"> </font> that my month's winnings increase if I leave a table after a couple of fairly large wins, or if I increase my stack by about 20xBB, after 20 mins or so, and go back to do the same later. I do this about 4 or 5 times a day. Why should this be? The strange thing is that I actually spend less time playing poker.

i've just found out that this is called "hit and run", and that I'm very bad for doing it. Any thoughts?

[nervous]

What happens when you play for a few hands and you lose 20BB? If you play at your same theoretical winrate your earnings will vary by how many hands you put in(time) rather than how many hit and runs you do.

[Quicksilvre]

When you hit and run, you leave tables after a win to protect the win and stay at tables where you're losing, hoping to get even.

When you're winning, you're usually at a good table, where the players are weaker at you. Therefore, your best interest is to stay. When you're losing, you're often at a bad table; therefore, you should leave and find a better one.

People who hit and run have two characteristics:

1. They have very long winning streaks
2. Their net losses are much bigger than their net wins

[ QUOTE ]
What happens when you play for a few hands and you lose 20BB? If you play at your same theoretical winrate your earnings will vary by how many hands you put in(time) rather than how many hit and runs you do.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I lose (not uncommon!) I play more that day to get it back and to get my 10/20BB for the day. 1 or 2 times a week I can't improve on previous day.

[ QUOTE ]
When you hit and run, you leave tables after a win to protect the win and stay at tables where you're losing, hoping to get even.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is very true and it makes sense. Table selection is important, but not that easy to do online when tables stay available for a short while only (I only play 6max) - and it's too boring and obnoxious sitting out whatching others play.
But I do take your point - I should be less protective of my wins and continue on the better tables. My original point was, however, that since changing tables after 1 or 2 biggish wins, monthly earnings DID increase.



[ QUOTE ]
People who hit and run have two characteristics:
1. They have very long winning streaks
2. Their net losses are much bigger than their net wins

[/ QUOTE ]

Could you explain this? I don't understand why that is.

[bernie]

One possibility.

Bankroll is affecting your play. Sessionroll primarily. You leave because you fear you'll give it back. By leaving, you get to cashout and go and play again with your same starting amount which clicks in your mind that you can't lose what you just won back since you took it off the table.

So, in effect, you winning could put you on a form of tilt that you are avoiding if you're not used to playing with lots of chips in front of you. In that regard, it's not a bad idea. However, you're going to have to face the swings sometime regardless of what you do. That's the rub. Would you rather a swing last 18 sessions covering 22 hours, or say, 5 sessions of about 4 hours each? This goes for losing and winning.

Try setting a time limit and playing to that time no matter what happens. Say, 2 hours. (since you said you're used to only 20 mins cracks) When that time hits, up or down, take a break and assess your game(honestly) and the game you're in. Then decide whether to continue or not. If you continue, set another time limit to check your play. Do not let the stack in front of you factor in. The stack size shouldn't matter. In gradually upping your time, you should lose some of your dependence on stack size.

Just an idea...

b

[BarronVangorToth]

I have to say, this is the exact OPPOSITE of what I do... The tables I am winning at online at stay at as the action is obviously juicy and if I find myself doing poorly, I chalk that up to my picking a suboptimal table and just try to find a better one.

Sometimes you can randomly find yourself at a table that just isn't right ... just move on.

But when you're winning and you're playing well and you're not tired, why would you ever leave?

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

[holdemfan]

[ QUOTE ]
This is very true and it makes sense. Table selection is important, but not that easy to do online when tables stay available for a short while only (I only play 6max) - and it's too boring and obnoxious sitting out whatching others play.

[/ QUOTE ]

You play for the action and thus are prone to tilt or playing hands or draws you shouldn't. It won't matter if you hit and run until you play with a full understanding of poker. Poker is about taking advantage of edges and other players mistakes. Good players don't get bored, they use the time to study their opponents and lay in wait like an animal on the hunt. Action players have trouble with this and tend to lose their bankroll.

[dogmeat]

Why should this be? Because you made it so. There is no way to know what would have happened if you stayed at the table. Perhaps you would have lost, or perhaps you would have won ten times as much. The only thing that is known (from a purely mathematical point of view) is that your hourly win or loss will be affected by NOT playing.

The cards have no memory. After 100K hands, you will know pretty well what you can expect to make per hour, and quiting early just detracts from what you Could have made.

Dogmeat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]