Determining Your Session Length
Determining session length is something that gamblers across all spectrums have trouble with, whether they are playing slots or poker. It is easy to fall into the trap of “Quit while you’re ahead”, and there are certainly times where this saying may be applicable, however poker is not one of those times. There is an underlying assumption here that you are a solid player who’s win rate is positive, if not the saying quit while your ahead may indeed hold true.
When to Quite Playing Poker
Justifications for quitting include, but are not limited to, “I am going to lose it back”, “No way I can run this hot much longer”, and “I am due to get unlucky.” Any statistician or mathematics teacher would be able to aptly explain why these feelings are unfounded. Each hand in poker is entirely separate from the one prior and the one that will be dealt next. Cards do not have a mind of their own, nor does the universe have a scale that it uses to balance out the odds in each and every session you play. It is true of course that over time odds will balance out, but this is only after an extremely long time. It is entirely possible that you win ten sessions in a row, just as it is possible that you lose ten sessions in a row. It is not possible, however, that you winning a hand has any impact on a future hand. A good way to look at it is to pretend that you are starting a new session with every hand dealt, and that the session does not know that a previous one had ever existed. Your odds to win with aces all in pre flop against kings are around 80% no matter how many times you lost to them before. Next time you suck out and want to quit, remember that you can suck out just as easily on the very next hand.
Factors to Consider When Determining How Long You Should Play
There are multiple factors that need to be considered when deciding how long a session should be. Are you tired, hungry, or sick? If you said yes to any of these it would be a good idea to quit, you are essentially handicapping your win rate if you decide to play poker at anything other than your best level. Another great time to quit would be the instant you start to feel frustrated when playing poker, otherwise known as being on tilt. When you play on tilt there is an increased likelihood that you will spew away your chips unnecessarily. It does not mean that you need to quit for the entire day, often times an hour or two break will be enough to allow you to recollect your thoughts and cool down. Do not think that the hour or two break is time where you are wasting potential profits because when you play on tilt those profits will often cease to exist altogether.
The best time to extend a session is when things are going well. Players are naturally prone to quit when they are ahead, but when you are experiencing a winning session you have increased confidence in yourself. This increased confidence will allow you to make well thought out decisions in a positive frame of mind. If you begin to play in a protective manner when you continue a winning session it would be a good idea to try to work out these fears before you try to continue on. Scared money rarely makes money so it is best to be aggressive to secure initial wins and then to continue with the same smart aggression to help build upon those wins.