Knowing when to say when...

Just curious what the indications others use to switch tables or end a session. It's somewhat easy to delude oneself that they are playing well, but what questions do people generally ask themselves during a session to determine whether they are actually playing well, or they are the fish at the table.

I stop an entire session when I dont think Im playing well which is something you just have to be honest with yourself about. There arent really a series of questions that determine how well Im playing, I just think about how Ive played the last few hands and if I clearly kept fucking them up, then Im done.

In terms of leaving a table I will stay until the mega fish leave. At $100nl and below for 6max/5max there are typically atleast 2 megafish at your table, when they bust or leave Im out of there and trying to find another good table. Even if it gets down to 3handed, I will stay as long as that fish is there.

At the small stakes I really dont think there should ever be a time where you are the fish at the table. Even if you arent a great player there are simply so many tables available for these stakes that you should always be able to find a table filled with players worse than you. Even if a couple fish leave, you still arent going to be the worst player there if you are posting here.

I've been playing 3/6 LHE in a card room the past few days and perhaps I need to adjust because at times I feel like I am on a long flight. I'm not entirely sure if I am playing horribly or if it is the adjustment to live play. The first two sessions I did quite well but the one I played today I felt almost ethereal. I played longer than I should have because I felt I was one of the better players and spent some time travelling to get there, but my lack of focus ended up costing me.

at 2/4nl i like to stop when i have made 1k

its just a nice round number

In all seriousness, i usually play 1-2k hands and quit. Being up a lot helps though. It sucks to give it up when you are down a buyin or only up 1/2 a buyin or something like that.

"Oooh I might be beat here. Aww fiddlesticks, guess I'll have to just call down."

That was most of my session today, only it went "I know that f***er caught the river but the pot is just too big to fold! Ahhh 73s, that's just what I put you on."

Originally Posted by strawman

"Oooh I might be beat here. Aww fiddlesticks, guess I'll have to just call down."

That was most of my session today, only it went "I know that f***er caught the river but the pot is just too big to fold! Ahhh 73s, that's just what I put you on."

i find myself turning into a calling station if i get tilty/apethetic. thinking "wtf if i hit ill make a lot of $$$$$$!!!!". thats when its time to log out. do the dishes, take out the trash. play with the dog. do something physical. you'll be ready to go again in 45 mins.

Originally Posted by Renton

at 2/4nl i like to stop when i have made 1k

its just a nice round number

In all seriousness, i usually play 1-2k hands and quit. Being up a lot helps though. It sucks to give it up when you are down a buyin or only up 1/2 a buyin or something like that.

i find ~5omins to 1hr is a great amount of time. I can go much longer, but im really sharp not much longer than that. the marathon sessions turn into intuitive/gut. i make great decisiosns around the 5-10min mark. folding pf etc. later on i make mistakes of calling pp's on short stacks, or not rr pf when i should, paying off river value bets..

1hr-8tables-60hands/table/hr= ~500 hands. I like 1-4 sessions per day. 500-2k, avg 1k hands. thrilled if im up a buyin per session.

Originally Posted by TerryToma

Originally Posted by strawman

"Oooh I might be beat here. Aww fiddlesticks, guess I'll have to just call down."

That was most of my session today, only it went "I know that f***er caught the river but the pot is just too big to fold! Ahhh 73s, that's just what I put you on."

i find myself turning into a calling station if i get tilty/apethetic. thinking "wtf if i hit ill make a lot of $$$$$$!!!!". thats when its time to log out. do the dishes, take out the trash. play with the dog. do something physical. you'll be ready to go again in 45 mins.

Thanks Terry ... this is what I need to learn. It's certainly what has killed my attempts at 50NL ... seeing those huge (relative to 25NL) pots and thinking as you say "wow ... look at the money I can make if he really DOESN'T have the flush that I KNOW HE HAS".

If there's a strong semi-loose aggressive/LAgg on my table, especially to my left, I might leave, especially if they have successfully achieved a balance in their play which means I can't get a convincing idea of what they play and when. Though if there are enough fish to counter this dude then I may well stay and just pick my spots more carefully.

if i get up 2 buy-ins i end the session while still feeling like i pwn

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

if i get up 2 buy-ins i end the session while still feeling like i pwn

That way you'll never know what it feels like to be up 3 or more buy-ins...

Originally Posted by DaNutsInYoEye

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

if i get up 2 buy-ins i end the session while still feeling like i pwn

That way you'll never know what it feels like to be up 3 or more buy-ins...

i should've said if i get up that much immediately

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

i should've said if i get up that much immediately

You really shouldnt be leaving a table because you have won a certain amount, leave the table if you are playing poorly or the fish leave. Setting a cap on your wins is going to really cripple your ability to move up.

Either I should have been more specific or the gist of my issue isn't apparent by now. I'm questioning more B&M situations. Online there are a number of possibilities one can choose- shut off the computer, move to a different game, grab a beer and watch a little t.v. etc.... T0day I returned to the card room after dropping two bills yesterday and recouped what I lost in three hours of 3/6 LHE, only to kill off my upswing within 20 minutes. Perhaps it is just the variance of the game but I was really put off by doing everything imaginable to play well and than drop two bills in about 8 hands. The one that got to me most was a SB/BB situation where I had AA and flopped a set only to lose to a rivered flush... That stung! Followed by a flopped two pair losing to a rivered straight. I guess that made up for my flopping a full house 3/5 hands in succesion.

I think one of my issues which actually pertains to online play is not noticing the change of table dynamics when new players enter. It really doesn't matter what you have been doing for the last three hours when half the table turns over in three minutes. Just hashing out some thoughts because I know I can beat the stakes where I am playing.

Even if I am up money, yet don't feel like I am playing well, I will stop playing and close pokerstars, just because I don't feel like I have my normal patience/mind set to play good poker.