How to know when to leave?

[hfrog355]

I bought in yesterday at 10 in the morning up at Winstar in OK and played for a long time. My total session wound up being 12 hours (playing 1/2NL) on my original $200 , after which I was busted on some really, really ridiculous poor luck. Anyway, my question is when to leave the game. At one point about 4pm (at which point TO's hearing had been going on for 7 hours) I was up to right around $650, but was not quite the big stack at the table and decided to stay. Obviously not being outplayed by anyone, I figured this was a good decision. In retrospect, I am kicking myself for not leaving then. How do you know when to leave a game if you don't have a time constraint?

[Photoc]

Go check the psychology forum. This has been discussed in great detail there.

[prayformojo]

[ QUOTE ]
Obviously not being outplayed by anyone, I figured this was a good decision. In retrospect, I am kicking myself for not leaving then.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hindsight is 20/20. Except in your case. In your case hindsight is blocked by a really really fat guy standing in your way.

If you're not being outplayed, and you are in fact a skillful player playing well who will make money under the current table conditions, there is no reason to leave. Every hand you play correctly there makes you money in the long run, regardless of short term results.

[hfrog355]

I fished around in the Psych forum for a bit but came up with nothing. The Search feature sucked it up big time. Any help?

[imported_adhoc]

This is a good question, hfrog. I think the conventional wisdom is that you should do anything you can to stay in a game when circumstances favor you, whether that means that you outclass the other players or that they are sufficiently drunk or tired enough to make mistakes that will allow you to profit from them. For myself, I try to stay at tables like these as long as I can, until my own tiredness or boredom threatens to limit whatever edge I enjoy over the rest of the table.