When to Close the Tables

    • Joronamo
      Joronamo
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.10.2008 Posts: 649
      Hi,

      I usually multitable 4 tables at a time. However i dont know when it recommended to call it day? I usually try to make a profit on each table and then close them and go south. But obviously you cant always make a profit so its a stupid idea i know. What do you players usually do? Because its stupid to have a big win and then play for another couple of hours cause chances are you will lose your winnings. I think despite poker etiquet in a live scenario, goin' south is a smart idea online seeing as someone will join the table straight after you leave anyway. What are your tips?
  • 11 replies
    • darkonebg
      darkonebg
      Headadmin
      Headadmin
      Joined: 17.01.2008 Posts: 9,508
      Set a certain goal(not money oriented), like number of hands or session duration, and quit when you reach it.
      Determine your stop-loss limit though, and stop before your goal if you reach it.
      Change tables as soon as they stop being good(all tags or all shorties all HU game or whatever doesnt make you comfortable)
    • shivas80
      shivas80
      Bronze
      Joined: 24.12.2008 Posts: 573
      Basicly im setting a goal of hands played... when i reach it, i remove from all tables "auto post BB", and play until i reach BB question... then leave table. Basicly continue to play until time to invest BB comes after reaching my goal of hands.

      And im leaving table if there is no playable hands in 30 hands range (according to SHC)
    • SecurityDrew
      SecurityDrew
      Bronze
      Joined: 13.05.2008 Posts: 78
      I shut down SSS when I lose 3 buy ins. I play for a set time (or until my wife says enough!!)
    • TheBrood
      TheBrood
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.07.2008 Posts: 4,383
      I play for an hour unless Im at a very good table
    • Balanarm
      Balanarm
      Bronze
      Joined: 06.07.2008 Posts: 17,163
      Originally posted by Joronamo
      Hi,

      I usually multitable 4 tables at a time. However i dont know when it recommended to call it day? I usually try to make a profit on each table and then close them and go south. But obviously you cant always make a profit so its a stupid idea i know. What do you players usually do? Because its stupid to have a big win and then play for another couple of hours cause chances are you will lose your winnings. I think despite poker etiquet in a live scenario, goin' south is a smart idea online seeing as someone will join the table straight after you leave anyway. What are your tips?
      It's wrong concept you are thinking about, there is no bigger chance of loosing your winnings at the end of the session, poker is one big session! The above given tips are very good!
    • gggeorgio
      gggeorgio
      Bronze
      Joined: 05.09.2007 Posts: 494
      I disagree with two concepts people have said in this post:

      1) trying to win every session- Obviously this is a terrible idea because once you've lost a certain amount (different for each person) you're no longer playing your A-game.

      2) Playing a certain number of hands- I think this is just as bad because it just all depends on your mindset while you're playing. Some days I feel confident in myself and am playing well... on these days I can keep playing even if I start by dropping 5 BI. Other days I'm just not feeling like I'm playing well, so I stop after 30m or something even if I'm currently up a BI or two.

      It is true that I find I'm usually playing better while I'm winning, so I end up playing longer on my winning sessions.

      My point is that I don't think you should force yourself to play a certain number of hands or stop based on a pre-set amount of winnings/losses. I think you need to learn how to feel when you're either on tilt or just not playing your A-game... then have the discipline to stop (unfortunately I know from experience that it's easier said than done ;) )
    • Joronamo
      Joronamo
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.10.2008 Posts: 649
      Well after starting this thread and reading everyone tactics i;ve realised that while everyone has their own methods of closing the tables, there is no black or white answer that i hoped. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I guess for me in No limit if i double up i will leave the table as there is no point jeapordising my profit.

      I remember this one on a sick Stars downwing. I actually turned $15 into $40 in NL25. I decided i was gonna leave the table with my winnings. Before you know i was dealt AA and thought i should at least play this hand. I was raising preflop and this guy went all in with $30 and i thought holy shit i am gonna triple up. For some reason with Stars if you are all in preflop in cash games cards arent revealed til the end - can someone explain why? But anyway i hit my set of Aces on the flop and thought this was in the bag. Showdown comes and it turns out the dickhead went all in preflop with 86off and made a straight. I was distraught. From almost walking away with $70 and thinking i couldv left the table with $40 i was back down to $10.

      From then on i learnt that once i made a nice profit i leave the table. Sure its less fun and alot of stopping and starting but atleast your money is in safe hands.
    • TheBrood
      TheBrood
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.07.2008 Posts: 4,383
      Originally posted by Joronamo
      Well after starting this thread and reading everyone tactics i;ve realised that while everyone has their own methods of closing the tables, there is no black or white answer that i hoped. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I guess for me in No limit if i double up i will leave the table as there is no point jeapordising my profit.

      I remember this one on a sick Stars downwing. I actually turned $15 into $40 in NL25. I decided i was gonna leave the table with my winnings. Before you know i was dealt AA and thought i should at least play this hand. I was raising preflop and this guy went all in with $30 and i thought holy shit i am gonna triple up. For some reason with Stars if you are all in preflop in cash games cards arent revealed til the end - can someone explain why? But anyway i hit my set of Aces on the flop and thought this was in the bag. Showdown comes and it turns out the dickhead went all in preflop with 86off and made a straight. I was distraught. From almost walking away with $70 and thinking i couldv left the table with $40 i was back down to $10.

      From then on i learnt that once i made a nice profit i leave the table. Sure its less fun and alot of stopping and starting but atleast your money is in safe hands.
      But in like +80% of the cases you will leave with $70 instead of $10. So you did the right thing. Now if you do that with JJ-KK then it could be questionable.
    • themagpiespg
      themagpiespg
      Bronze
      Joined: 23.02.2009 Posts: 280
      • 07.03.2009, 17:36
      • This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by themagpiespg: 07.03.2009 17:46.
      that sick when it happens some thing similar happen to me on nl20 on AP poker I'd bought in for $10 and had upto $25 . I was on the button and ready to leave when bb came around and was dealt AQs spades it was folded round to me so i raised to .80 sb folded bb stack $12 called, flop came Ad Ks 6s giving me top pair & flush draw bb checked so i raised $1.20 bb called turn was Ac now have trips & flush draw big blind checks so I raised again $3.00 bb re-raised and went all in I sat and thought for a moment and nearly folded but i call (the reason i call was I had been playing on that table for about 2 hours and had noted the hands he was playing and he was very loose) so we now have $24 pot 1 card to come he has a pair of 3 and yes I bet you can gess what the next card was a 3 and to rub my nose in it it was the 3 of spades so i hit the flush and he took the pot.

      I was sick. So I played round to the blinds and left with only a $3 profit.

      I keep asking my self did I play the hand right and as far as I can see I did I put my chips in with the best hand and still lost it.
    • TheBrood
      TheBrood
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.07.2008 Posts: 4,383
      Nobody likes to see our session winnings go up in smoke to a suckout but you've got to see the big picture not just the session =)
    • Smileyphil
      Smileyphil
      Silver
      Joined: 28.10.2008 Posts: 488
      With BSS it doesn't make too much difference because the big hands you will want to play for as much money as you possibly can.

      With SSS it does make a great deal of difference when you leave because the strategy does not work with a larger stack so you are forced to move tables when you win.

      I play BSS and tend to move tables when the table drops below 3/4 other big stacks. I like to set hunt and I like to have some implied odds so although I can cope with a table full of shorties it is nowhere near as fun.

      As to ending the session I like to try and end each day on a plus. Sometimes I have days where I just can't stop and then get a few bad beats and a +2BI day turns to a -2BI day. Which feels really bad but the bad beats will happen eventually and as long as you feel you played well it does not matter.

      What does matter is if you throw away the profit in bad moves. If I ever start floating or bluffing big pots I usually know I have tilted and it is time to stop.

      If I tilt and get scared into playing too tight that isn't half as bad...