When is to much poker to much?

[DawnToDusk]

I have been doing a lot of reading of the 2+2 books lately and been focusing my studies on beating the local small limit games. Yesterday I went to the casino and started playing $3/$6 around 2:30PM. My overall goal (besides winning) was to implement some new ideas/theories I learned about as well as refine old ones. And I did just a good job of that. Towards the end of hour 4 (took a 30min lunch break inbetween those 4 hours) I was up about $140 dollars. I was at a great table too. I had one very timid high school kid who could be attacked and pushed off a hand, someone who went to the end with weak/marginal hands way to often, and someone who was very tight and could be taken advantage of or exploited. So I felt like the table had more money to be taken. But around this point I started to lose a little. And then soon enough I found myself stuck for $60 and trying to win it back. To make it short, I got my rack back and cashed out, but that took another 2 hours.

Should I of just left after those 4 hours when I was up $140? I felt like I had an edge over all my oppenents and that more money could have been extracted from them.

Im trying to decide if 6+ hours is just to much. I think next time that there is a possibility that I may be playing for more than 6+ hours, I will plan it well in advanced, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy and hydrate tons. I will also plan on starting to play cards around 6PM when everyone is getting off work. But still. 6+ hours to much?

[shant]

Money goals are worthless. Set a time limit or hand limit per session and try and stick to that unless you somehow run bad and lose 100BB in a day. Then you might want to stop.

[smcannon]

Never attempt to win your money back. Just play your good game and continue to make good decisions. Overall, you will win if you have a solid game. If you're down for the day, so be it. Assuming you haven't changed your style of winning play then it's just variance.

[flair1239]

I went through my PT database the other day. I usually only play (1) session per day, so this should be fairly accurate.

This covers only my time at 5/10 (3 months). I three table so I get about 165-190 Hands per hour depending how often I am switching tables.

I separated the sessions as those above 650 hands and those below 650 hands. (This is from memory)

Below 650 hands: 33 winning days- 11 losing days.

Above 650 hands: 19W - 12L

Factors:

-Chasing losses.
-Sometimes cutting short wins.

However I think these pretty much cancel, I can remeber chasing a couple and I can remember cutting a couple. For me I play best in 3-4 hour stretches anything more and I need a break or I need to switch games to "renew my attention span".

I am now pretty rigid as far as stopping at four hours. IF I am on a good table and have a strong image there, I might play it out for another hour or so. But barring that I just quit.

This has helped my results.

[DawnToDusk]

Yesterday I wasn't so much trying to chase losses. In my mind I said "Okay. You've been here to long and once you get your rack you need to go." But I felt like I wasn't chasing anything. I didn't change my game and get desperate and make calls I normally wouldn't, and still was getting good reads on people.

After playing for 4+ hours and being up $140 and then going down to about $40 in the next hour and a half would you just say that its better to save your money and play again another day?

[ThisHo]

no one can answer this but YOU!

There are people that can play 20+ hours and still be sharp (not many, but they exist). There are people that get burned out after 2 hours for whatever reason.

The above posters are offering their personal examples and that's great, but the answer to "how much is too much" is different for everyone and YOU need to figure out that answer for yourself. I'll offer a few suggestions for how to get to that answer:

1 - At the 4 hour mark, how did you feel? Tired/Bored/leg cramps/sore ass (from sitting you jopkesters) OR Fresh/Excited to be at a FAT! table / focused / aware / comfortable?

2 - were you at all pressed for time? You started at 2:30 ... did you have any plans that night or could you go home and go to sleep when you were done? (hint - if you're at all pressed for time you're likely to play worse near the end to try and "catch a few cards to get my chips back")

3 - how did you feel / What did you think when you looked down and counted +$140?
"I've never been up this much!"
"This will be a huge boost to my BR!"
"SWEET... I'm so hot I can't miss right now, lets get all the chips at this table and then cruise home!"
OR
"this is good... I hope I don't screw it up and lose it all now"
"I can't wait to spend this $140"
OR
"+$140 - nice. I've been making mostly good decisions, I've got a great read on 3 of these guys and I know the 2 players I don't really want to be messing around with. Lets continue to play well and try to grow this $140"

If you are more excited about the +$140 than the fact that you are playing well then you should take it home right there. If you can honestly evaluate "yep, playing well, got a few suckers, lets patiently try to pick them apart" then staying is probably good.

Bottom line it comes down to this:
4 - "Am I still a favorite at this table? or another table in the club or on-line? and do I feel good/fresh/aware enough to PLAY like a favorite and take advantage?" If you can answer yes to both, then stay!

I can play 6 or so hours on-line and 4 - 6 in a club before I get bored/burnt out and need either a large break (1+ hours) or to quit.

Also... don't play to get even. No matter what you tell yourself, you'll make decisions that are less than optimal if you are playing "to get unstuck." The best players make the CORRECT decision REGARDLESS of + or - for that session/week/month/year. (although just last night I stayed up an extra hour because I was stuck and wanted to get unstuck... do what I say not what I do).

ThisHo!

[DawnToDusk]

Hey thanks for that response. That makes great sense. I will definately ask myself those questions next time.

I guess that I honestly couldn't say that I feel great to all of those answers. I think what it came down to is that I wasn't feeling great the night before and didn't get a lot of sleep. Had I been a lot fresher and had healthy food and maybe exercised before I went, I think I would of been able to stay and make correct decisions whether I was +/-.