I know this is bad, but right now i'm doing it. Flame me.

[PokerBob]

I just went through a 500BB downswing. I am sure some of my losses have to do with my idiocy/tilt/what have you. Lately if I have a nice win, I just stop so that I have a positive experience with which to begin my next session. Being results oriented is horrible and I never used to be this way, but I'm doing it. How dumb am I?

[darkcore]

i think it's okay.

when i am on a bad run, a single beat can put me on tilt. some forced winning sessions to rebuild confidence are fine then, imo.

hit & run. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Shilly]

Really [censored] dumb. I suggest you check your pants to make sure your genitalia are still intact. <font color="white">Hope that was enough... </font>

[reddred]

Don't know what to say that hasn't already been said before a million times regarding downswings/tilt/etc. Switch to SnG's for a while......it has a natural tightening up affect, and less suckouts which will render less tilt, IMHO.
The real reason i wanted to reply was to tell you your avatar is hilarious.

[flair1239]

[ QUOTE ]
I just went through a 500BB downswing. I am sure some of my losses have to do with my idiocy/tilt/what have you. Lately if I have a nice win, I just stop so that I have a positive experience with which to begin my next session. Being results oriented is horrible and I never used to be this way, but I'm doing it. How dumb am I?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bob,

I had a 500BB downswing in July. It screwed me up mentally for a long time.

I ran normal from Late July through August. But still felt plauged. I switched to four tables in August specifically so I could play shorter sessions.

I just recently dropped back to three tables because I felt I had plateaued learning wise and wanted to focus more.

Anyway, only recently have I stopped the early win quits and just played my hours.

My point is this. it is going to screw with you for a bit. The next downswing you have however minor will scare the [censored] out of you. This is just the way it is. Massive downswings are a traumatic experience for those of us who take the game seriously. Not to sound like a puss; but acknowledge your fears and try to adjust.

This may entail dropping a couple tables if that is what it takes to get you to play your hours. You have to train yourself through this, as the early quits could ultimately become more damaging winrate wise than the downswings.

[WarBus]

Quitting early to mark a few wins after a horrendous downswing is not bad. Its not optimal if you are playing your "A" game, but after a 500BB downswing no one is playing their best.

If quitting early for a week or two rebuilds confidence and brings back your game, it is beneficial.

When you no longer check to see how you're doing during a session, your game should be better than ever.

In a couple weeks, the losing streak will just be another learning experience that has improved your abilities.

[Lmn55d]

Bob, do whatever you need to do to maximize your EV. Obviously the best solution to your problem is to not tilt even if you are running bad.

However, I see nothing wrong with your technique of stopping while you are ahead if you are in period where you are heavily doubting your abilities and are especially prone to tilt. If this helps reduce your tilt, then by all means do it until you regain your confidence. Then stop doing it.

I think most people underestimate how much tilt reduces their winrates. A lot of people, myself included, figure "well yea I'm tilting but I'm normally a solid winner so my play should be +EV still." Often times it is not. Furthermore, if you're playing on tilt at, say, a 0.5 BB/100 level you will have a MUCH greater likelihood of a bad session or bad downswing which will further compound your tilt! It is my understanding that variance increases exponentially as your winrate decreases (it might not be exponentially but i'm pretty sure it's not linear).

In summary, until you can get to the root of the problem, I think your technique is quite reasonable.

A suggestion: don't look at your cashier or pokertracker more than once a week. IF you multitable you probably won't even know if you are up or down and can be more objective!

[purnell]

[ QUOTE ]
Really [censored] dumb. I suggest you check your pants to make sure your genitalia are still intact. <font color="white">Hope that was enough... </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

I can assure you that a big downswing causes significant shrinkage. <font color="white"> *snicker* </font>

Bob, obviously this behavior is not ideal, but if it helps you regain your confidence it can't be that bad.

Funny how people will often tell a player who is losing/tilty to try "taking some time off from poker" but "booking small wins" is the wrong strategy....

[ QUOTE ]
I just went through a 500BB downswing. I am sure some of my losses have to do with my idiocy/tilt/what have you. Lately if I have a nice win, I just stop so that I have a positive experience with which to begin my next session. Being results oriented is horrible and I never used to be this way, but I'm doing it. How dumb am I?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not dumb at all. You can't play your A game without getting your head straight. Ergo do whatever it takes to get your head straight even at the expense of some EV.

I would stop short of pounding your scrotum with a hammer though.