How do you decide your session duration

I was wondering about session duration and how people go about them. I'm talking about Ring games here (obviously not tournaments).

I fix myself 2 kinds of limits when sitting down to play: a set amount of gain after which I'll leave the table (usually 50 % of my buy in), and a time limit after which I'll leave, whatever the state of my stack is.

Since I don't have much of a bankroll, I never carry any extra money so as not to be tempted to re-buy and going on tilt after someone takes my stack.

How do other players go about it? Do you just play for as long as your eyes will remain open? With money raising objectives? Or do you base yourself on external or bodily factors (leaving when the wife calls for help to put the kids to bed, or leaving as soon as the first physical signs of tiredness show up?)

I determine how long I'm going to play for and then sit down and play it. This is typically about 2 hours at a time. While I'm playing, I rarely look at how much I'm up or down because it can do nothing but hurt your focus.

I usually start with 6 tables, and close the ones that seem slow after a couple of minutes. I usually end up with 3 tables because it leaves a little space for firefox or a media player.
And I play until I loose focus, or I have to do something else, which is usually around the 2 hour mark. If I play longer that's where I make a break.
I don't set any monetary limits. I always have auto-rebuy-to-max on. I don't have to worry even if I go on a record loosing spree though, but I do usually quit early if I run bad simply because it screws with my head, and I can't help it. I don't really steam that bad, but I play worse... I tend to overcompensate and play too tight usually.
If I make a bet and someone calls that I didn't notice was in the hand, that's when I'm getting ready to leave. Or when I bet every street with TPNK, and after the hand I check the player notes and it sais "DANGER DANGER, UEBER ROCK!! Draw out on that sucker!"
avoidable mistakes.
More often than not I have more than 10$ on 3 5$ max tables after an hour, so carelessness can become expensive if I clash with another big stack. But I like playing deep so I rather quit than cash out and start from scratch.

I usually play for 2-3 hr sessions. Sometimes longer, and sometimes shorter if I'm tired or tilting. I agree that I don't usually track my monies while playing as takes my focus away from the game.

I usually aim for a set # of hands, but I'll quit if I notice any non-optimal play. After a while I start playing undisciplined.

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

I rarely look at how much I'm up or down because it can do nothing but hurt your focus.

Damn... wish I had that discipline...

I usually stay until I'm back to a break-even or losing session... esp if I'm up several buy-ins early on.....

...not bitter, just a crappy poker week.....

In an ideal vacuum, the only factors to the length of a sessions probably should only be the ones related to your physical and mental playing conditions (stop playing when you get tired or before going on tilt, etc).

But in my case, the reason I also add in a profit cap is that when I start winning too much, I kind of get in a cocky comfort zone where I might extend my play just a little bit too much and get screwed. Like, I push my luck, adding more to a pot I know I won't win anyway, getting in my head that the other players are so worst than me that I can make them fold and then, I'm up for half my stack in the pot and looking to decide if I must put the rest in it... (and even if I hear the voice of reason and drop it, I'm now back under my buyin and have to restart building up, when all I had to do was get up and out of there 2 hands before with a happy smile on my face and a winning session under my belt).

I guess if I ever get used to winning on a consistent basis, I'll be able to bypass this change of attitude provoked by winning, but it should take some time from what I see.

i play till im outa monies....

is that wrong?

Since we all strive to be better at the game, and assuming we all become good enough at some point or other, you could eventually find yourself in a position where you win on a consistent basis, thus never reaching the point where you have "no money". Gotta have another way out then, at least other than going all in until you lose just so you can take a break from the game!

sick boy, I think you might have the wrong approach to cash games from what you are saying.
You're talking about playing yourself back up within a session, but you can just rebuy. Don't play below 50bb, unless you're going to nutcamp, which is not a great idea either. Being down one or two buy ins shouldn't matter. I consistently take a couple of buy-in downswings. It starts to suck at about 4 without catching much of a break.
Watch the videos on this site - there's a great insight on how to play various stakes.