Setting limits on playing time...

stephenoleary

From analysis of my play, (very rough analysis it must be stated), I have found that I continually make an early profit at the tables on which I play (.50c/1 ring games on line).

Nothing major, but on average a 50% profit on my intial stake. However, after an hour, this percentage begins to fall more often than rise. Now thankfully, I am still continuing to generate a profit, but obviously it could be better than it is.

Without wanting to state the obvious, I would assume I become bored with the game after this point, hence the drop in concentration levels, and subsequent -%.

As a result, I am considering placing a limit on my time at any one table to 30 mins, or the point at which I hit the 50% profit, which ever arrives first. Is this a good/bad idea?

I would be interested to hear what limits other players make on their table time, hours of play, etc?

Do people have a strict routine or just play until they hit a certain number?

ArmaniJeanss

whodini wrote:

Do people have a strict routine or just play until they hit a certain number?

I dont think anyone should use the 'play til you hit a certain amount of winnings' method. If the table conditions are still good, then play on.

Maybe its that the players you have won off are leaving the table.
Maybe if you are very tight/very loose, then people cotton on to your style.
Maybe its just fluke.

tribulus

If its boredom then try adding an extra table or two.

Maybe its your style of play, eg you play quite tight and after several orbits you get less action or in contrast you're loose/agg and people just wait for monsters to catch you out.

I guess its down to the individual so only you yourself know really although if youre at a soft table and making a profit why leave?

Tar.Aldarion

I start off on those tables with 25 bucks, get up to 30-50 and leave.
I start another table with 25.

Mr. Flibble

I know alot of people say you should stay at a table if you are winning but I still think leaving after a time or when you reach a certain profit system has some benefits.

A few reasons for it are;
-Some people play aren't comfortable playing deep stacked which will effect their game adversely.
-When you are up a buyin at a table you may become more reckless with the money. But when you go to a new table the money seems yours so you are more careful with it. Yes this is all in the mind - but if playing along with your mind's tricks helps so be it.
-Part of the reason you do well at early stages may be because the other players don't know your style, so staking on the move will keep this edge. Granted you won't know your opponents style, but maybe this doesn't outweigh them not knowing you.


I think on the whole moving tables strategy depends wholly on the player, good idea for some, not for others.

RoundTower

Figure out what you are doing different after the first half an hour. No one else can really do this for you.

Then stop doing it and start playing better. If you can manage this it will be much more helpful than setting a time limit/win limit.

stephenoleary

RoundTower wrote:

Figure out what you are doing different after the first half an hour. No one else can really do this for you.

Then stop doing it and start playing better. If you can manage this it will be much more helpful than setting a time limit/win limit.

Will pokertracker be able to help me figure this out? Can I look at specific times on tables? Or is it simply a quesstion of some self analysis?

I appreciate what Mr Fibble says, and I think he is right on a number of counts, including the fact that players are obviously beginning to get a read on me after 30 mins or so.

However, I am keen to get rid of the mind tricks that seem to be influencing my play when my stack increases. Any advice?

Mr. Flibble

whodini wrote:

Will pokertracker be able to help me figure this out? Can I look at specific times on tables? Or is it simply a quesstion of some self analysis?
...
However, I am keen to get rid of the mind tricks that seem to be influencing my play when my stack increases. Any advice?

I don't think PT will be too useful for this. You may be able to search for similar hands in similar situations and see if they happened early or late in the session and see if you played them differently for no apparent reason, but I think you'd need a huge amount of data for this to be useful...

Regards deep stacked play, I'm no authority on the matter but practice makes perfect. It isn't all mind tricks, you do actually have to adjust your game when deep stacked. Set hunting with low PPs and seeing flops with suited connectors seems to become more valuable when deep stacked.

kincsem

I'd like to know the answer. I occasionaly play Sit & Gos on PokerStars .... either $5, $10, $20, or $30 and 9, 18, 27, or 45 players. I prefer $20 and 18 players.

I deposit $50 and make some money. Recently I ran the $50 up to $293 and back down to $0. This is typical. I quit for a while and repeat.

I almost never lodge money and lose it without building it up first to about $150 to $200. I never put the money back into my credit card. I lose it.

Answers on a postcard.

ArmaniJeanss

kincsem wrote:

I'd like to know the answer. I occasionaly play Sit & Gos on PokerStars .... either $5, $10, $20, or $30 and 9, 18, 27, or 45 players. I prefer $20 and 18 players.

I deposit $50 and make some money. Recently I ran the $50 up to $293 and back down to $0. This is typical. I quit for a while and repeat.

I almost never lodge money and lose it without building it up first to about $150 to $200. I never put the money back into my credit card. I lose it.

Answers on a postcard.

Playing at such different stakes ($5-$30) may be the problem. Do you throw in $50, play some $5/$10 games, win some money and then lose it at the higher level games? This would imply your game is good enough for the lower levels but not good enough for the higher levels. Moving back down to the lower levels can be a dent in the old pride but it may be what you have to do.

If it helps I'd operate like this.....
Put in $50, play $5s, if you go above $100 play $10s, above $200 play $15s etc.
But if you fall below $200 play $10s again, < $100 play $5s again etc. Do this even if you feel you have done nothing wrong at the higher levels.
Eventually if good enough, you will stabilise at the higher level.
On another thread I likened it to football promotion/relegation - you will yo-yo the levels like a Sunderland for a while, and then hopefully become established like a Bolton.
HTH.

kincsem

I usually start at $20 and then when the tide turns I'm grovelling at the $5 level. Perhaps I should download all the hand histories and read them, and also have a look at the times I play and how many I play consecutively. I think the early success keeps me playing and I get tired and careless.

sligobhoy

i was considering setting a time limit on my cash game play aswell however i agree with the guy above who says that u have to identify where u are going wrong after building up $100 or $200 dollars. what i have identified is that when i get up so much i play too many hands or eventually run in to a big hand when i have one aswell. so im thinking if the table is tite u make $200 leave. if its loose play on till u get a nice profit. time limit is an interesting way of looking at it but then u will never have them whopper seesions on the loose tables

bohsman

Try the two mistakes and leave strategy

stephenoleary

bohsman wrote:

Try the two mistakes and leave strategy

If only I could identify my mistakes...:D

Sounds like a good strategy, but those two mistakes often eliminate the profit made.