Poker is not a slot machine...
I think one hole in a lot of cash game players is getting past the mentality that there is nothing wrong with leaving the poker table a little up/down or even for their session. Whenever I play in a cash game, I have noticed that approximately 80-90% (for discussion purposes, actual percentage may differ) of players leave the table when they are either i) up a significant amount based on their initial total buy-in for the session or ii) they have gone broke. There are not many players that leave the table down a little or even for the day. Why is this?
I think the reason for this is a lot of players, including very experienced players, do not want to put in the time and effort to travel to a poker club/casino and have nothing to show for it at the end of their session. A lot of players think of their poker chips as coins for a slot machine. They have sat in front of a slot machine for four hours and are even on the day. As they have come to make money, they will keep playing the machine aggressively until they win an amount that makes them satisfied, or they will lose what they have set aside for their session. This type of thought process for a poker player is completely wrong.
When you are playing in a cash game, you should not adjust your game based on the amount of time you have spent at the table, and whether you are planning to leave in a little while. How many of us have started to play more marginal hands near the end of your session because you are near even for the day?
I have never seen a discussion of this topic so I thought I would see what other players thought of these observations.
I think the reason for this is a lot of players, including very experienced players, do not want to put in the time and effort to travel to a poker club/casino and have nothing to show for it at the end of their session. A lot of players think of their poker chips as coins for a slot machine. They have sat in front of a slot machine for four hours and are even on the day. As they have come to make money, they will keep playing the machine aggressively until they win an amount that makes them satisfied, or they will lose what they have set aside for their session. This type of thought process for a poker player is completely wrong.
When you are playing in a cash game, you should not adjust your game based on the amount of time you have spent at the table, and whether you are planning to leave in a little while. How many of us have started to play more marginal hands near the end of your session because you are near even for the day?
I have never seen a discussion of this topic so I thought I would see what other players thought of these observations.
Comments
Poker players are degens (myself included).
There are very few disciplined people out there that can put in a 3-5 hour session and leave with the exact buyin they started with.
One of the signs of a problem gambler is that they play until everything is gone (Or as you mentioned, they have won enough to be satisfied).
This explains, for example, why I will throw away 9-10 suited to a $20 bet playing 1-2 early in a session. But if I am down to 50-60 from a 200 buyin and I am nearing session end, I will inexplicably push.
Should I walk with my $60, and call it a day? Probably.
Is that how I roll? Nope.
Hopefully this comment doesn't get the thread off topic. My observation was meant to help players improve. I think this habit is common among all level of players. A lot of players push with any two cards when there stack is minimal. Again, if you can't afford to rebuy in this situation, walking away is the best solution. Versus pushing with cards that will likely not improve.
+1
Like I said, very few people have this skill (discipline)....and it's alot more fun to push and pray.
It's a BINGO card!
NL sessions... 68
avg length... 6.5 hrs
winning/losing sessions... 38/30
sessions up less than .5 buy-ins... 6
... so I probably left 36 times thinking that I just wasted an evening, and should have stayed home... SWEET!! I'm wasting 53% of my poker life.
kind of the opposite of what I meant; if you are short stacked and make it back to your original buy-in, you are not really playing with enough confidence. It sounds like you are uncomfortable at these levels. If you are pushing and hoping for the best and if you don't hit you will not buy-in again, this is the type of player I am referring to.
Maybe at my next session on Friday, I will keep track of the players at the table to see how many leave broke or up a significant amount vs players who player a few hours and leave near what they started with.
As you should be. There are 'off' days that everyone has when your focus is not there and it takes discipline to leave the table with some chips intact.
My problem lately has been to leave early once I have multiplied my buy-in. More than half of my 2/5 sessions at Fallsview Casino have been three hours or less, so while my average hourly win rate would cause somebody to tell me to go buy a lottery ticket,
When I played 1/2 at clubs, I would rarely leave early even when I was up big and would be one of the longest-session players. At 2/5 Fallsview, as soon as I win a big pot, I look at my watch and it seems that I start thinking when I should leave even if my EV at the table has not changed. I think with the session fee being taken every half-hour, it makes a bankroll nit like me think "should I stay or should I go?" every half hour when I am up.
Certainly not optimal play for a cash game player -- if you feel uncomfortable risking a big stack or would be too upset to lose some back then these are hurdles you need to overcome as a player to optimize your winnings. I know that not wanting to lose back winnings used to be a bit of an obstacle for me, but leaving a great table while still fresh is likely as big a hole as sitting in a tough game for hours when tired to try and break even.
Agreed, I couldn't have said it better. I would think you would want to keep playing to make more money vs being concerned about getting back to even again? I usually follow a similar philosophy where I aim to earn a certain amount and then will leave for the night, not unless the table is very soft. It really depends on my state of mind and whether I am starting to get a little tired. If I am up early, I will definitely keep playing.
i will walk away with winnings or nothing.........
but online is better, i set session by time. usually 3hr, unless i'm having good day, and lot's action at the table.
And you shouldn't think of it as breaking even. Factor in you paid possible session fees, your blinds. So you actually made money, but you didn't turn a profit.
Sometimes the information you gain from sitting at the table whether you are practicing hand reading, figuring out tells, etc...is more valuable then turning out a profit as well. I never look at a session as a waste of time because you should always be working on a different part of your game.
Also when you have a losing session take a look at why you lost. Many examples were already given,
- playing too loose
- calling out of position with mediocre hands
- marrying pocket pairs or your hand
- not adjusting to the table
- fatigue/head not there/not bankrolled sufficiently when you start
I find for the most part if I have a losing session I can narrow it down to exactly why I lost my money.
This weekend for example I was at FV for 8 hours. I broke even. The one hand that cost me my day essentially was AA vs QQ, we both went all in pre-flop for stacks and well the Q spiked.
Did I play the hand wrong, probably not, so I just got unlucky in that situation so I had to spend the rest of the time grinding and when I realized the table was slow once I got back to even I decided it wasn't worth trying to squeeze additional $$$ with the chance if I do get a big hand and I lose it will take me a while to get the $$$ back based on the players at the table.
I have been lucky myself at Fallsview, I have never had to go past 1000.00 when I have played there. Like yourself, I am happy clearing 1000-1500 profit and heading home. I have built my cash game style around a low variance strategy. I never win big, but I never lose big either.