Silly Tip of the Day #9 I also have to jump on this bandwagon.
Tip: Know when to stop.
This might seem simple, but your emotions can always get the best of you. Know when to quit while you're ahead. Know when to stop while you're behind and cut your losses. This has probably been one of my biggest problems.
If you are up a decent amount, say 10 big bets for limit holdem and 20 big blinds for no limit, leave the table. There is only one exception, and this should only apply to limit ring tables: if you are dominating the table, killing all of your opponents and really have a feel for them all, then stay, because chances are that you will win a lot more. The reason this does not apply to no limit is because one hand can change everything. It can make you or break you.
Set a losing limit for yourself each time you go to a table, and if you reach this, leave immediately. Don't say to yourself "things are going to change and I will get lucky soon," because the odds are that you won't. If and when you reach this limit of losses, either quit for the day, or quit for a few hours. You will need a break to clear your head after big losing sessions.
One thing that has probably hurt me the most is waiting for the big blind to leave. What I mean is when you either hit your winnings or loss limit, leave right after the hand you won/loss with. Don't wait for the big blind to see all of the hands "you paid for." Waiting for these extra hands will normally hurt you because if you get a good hand, you will want to play it. Of course, you can win big and it will benefit you, but if you lose, then you might lose all of your winnings and/or add greatly to your current losses. |