I had a poor sessin the other night in the live mix limit game. 3/6 chip structure and I dumped 5 racks over 11 hours. I don't feel like I played bad but just ran cold and card dead but I was mad that I didn't leave after recognizing it. The game was great though and I didnt want to leave.

My question is how much is enough?

I've heard 30big bets in a limit game. I think 83 big bets is a lot to lose in one pop. You should have left before that happened. Good game, bad game...

Usually about 50bb's is call it a night time for myself. Factoring in time played as well.

I struggle with the 'running bad and likely playing bad but in a really good game' dilemma myself. I do not play limit poker, though (and when playing a PLO live game there is some consideration to take about how often this opportunity will arise). I think it depends on how I'm feeling - have I been in a rut recently and will really press/increase my variance or have I been playing/running well and am confident I can remain focused (even if I am getting in more pots) and still navigate without blinders on? My emotions and circumstances obv aren't this polarized, but I suppose feeling your way through these spots is where live experience and self-awareness really is important and can greatly increase your winrate.

If you're the one dropping 5 racks, the game might be good, but not for the reasons you think.

I thought a lot about that too, obviously running bad and playing bad are different but the former can lead to the latter. Either way that was not the point or the focus of the thread.

I think the 50BB rule would be good. It's tough in a limit game because if you play to get even stuck More than that the chances are real slim. I guess a fresh option for the next day is the best idea?

The only reason to ever leave a game provided that you're still playing within your BR, is if you think you no longer have an edge in that game. This can be due to many factors, IE if you're tilting, you're tired, the game has become tougher, your opponents are too nitty for it to be worth your while, etc.

You say you should've left because you were cold and card dead? If you left and started playing again tomorrow, what, you start with a clean slate adnd will be dealt a more appropriate ratio of good hands to bad hands? Rule of independent trials FTW. Would you rather come back tomorrow and be up against a field that you can't beat, but where you're not "running cold" anymore? This is degen gambler thinking.

If the game is still plus EV for you all things considered, you play on. Simple as that.

/thread IMO.

IMHO the OP recognizing that he was card dead and running cold and in particular the fact the OP was worrying that he should possibly quit is a symptom of frustration that will likely lead the OP into making poor decisions and to lose confidence. Thus when the OP begins to have such worries it may indeed be time for the OP to get up and at least take a break.

Keep in mind that mixed games have true poker scholars. They really really really like poker, and they're really really really good at making it seem like they're more casual than they are. Your edge in that kind of game is FAR less than a typical FLHE or even FLO8 game.

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE mixed games. But I can't play them in Vegas because the competition is just too good. Not that they're great, but frankly neither am I, and the HE and O8 games are just so much easier. So your edge may not be as great as you think it is.

If you're confident in your game and properly bankrolled, then there's no magic number. Get up when you're not feeling good about it. Simple as that. Take a break every hour, get up, stretch, drink water, take a walk. While on your walk, try to honestly assess the table and your relationship to it. If it's not good, walk away. Don't rationalize, just leave.

That's the hardest part for any budding pro. That's why there are so few pros.

How does one recognize that they are running cold or card dead?
How do you know how long it will last?
Are there any signs that tell you things are going to change for the better and you should keep playing?

Generally, the answer is not that I'm running cold or card dead. It's that I'm playing poorly.

He said he means the former led to the latter. And when it's been going on for too long, it's hard to recover from it for various reasons (especially at that exact table as your image worsens the worse you run). At that point, you should possibly leave or take an extended break. Seems reasonable imo.

That said, when you run bad, you play bad and when you run good, (you think) you play good. It's got to do with image in general and yours and your opponent's perception of your play in the respective situation.

I only play n/l, but for me it depends on how I've lost, not how much I've lost. If I am getting my money in good and people are hitting their draws then I'll stay. If I have made wrong decisions I'll call it a day.

The key to this strategy is being able to forget the bad beat the moment after it happens. If your decision making process is affected by a bad beat or two you need to walk away.

I agree with the playing bad, bad decisions and whatnot. After analyzing the game for a while and e way I played the only spot I felt that I lost value was drawing hands in multi way pots, especially In lhe. Eg open ended straight flush draw in a 4 way pot. Usually raising flop in position but i was getting beat up so I just call. But that's the only kind of spots where I felt I was playing bad not bad hands.

Part of the issue IMO especially with loose limit games is that your hands need to hold up and you need showdown value. When your qeueens lose to 96os on a jh board and t6 beats your nut flush there is not much you can do. This game in particular was build of 6 solid players and 3 maniacs. Most pots were capped pf which made any cheeseball hand peel to the turn and a lot of rivers.

I agree about the mix games as there often is very good players. I know who they are in the local room and I won't play the game unless there are a few weak players. Lo8 is a strong game for me IMO especially in a loose scenario but there is nothing you can do in a game that you don't hit draws, it's not like I can bluff out a under full for one bet with my a23k.

And in response to "running cold" being degenerate gambler talk I would disagree. If someone left because this is "not their dealer" or I need a setup these are not my card. What people call variance I call running cold. Nature in general is streaky flip a coin and record what's heads and what's tails you will see bunches of heads and bunches of tails but in the long run it evens out to 50/50. IMO that's how life goes and poker, some people just call it variance I guess I call it running cold.

So back to the original topic which is what i was looking for an answer to and not if i played bad or good during a particular session, thanks for the troll btw. I have the response of 30 big bets, and I have never leave a good game if you feel your playing right. So what is the consensus on that topic?

That's not how it works.

It's all one session.

If you are down five buy-ins, what difference does it make if you buy in again today or tomorrow?

I agree with this comment, and that's kinda how I felt that night but I was still beating myself up for that big of a downswing. That's why I posted this I was just curious as to what others have as a limit or whatnot.

As mentioned... if you feel that you can beat the game, play on!!! After a couple racks, I'd probably have given a lot of thought as to whether I was taking bad beats, or playing poorly, or facing tougher than usual opponents. Depending on the reason, perhaps a table change, long walk or call it a night.

I would have left after 2 or 3 racks. What is the most you have ever won playing 3-6 on your best night. Is it more or less than 2 racks, so why are you staying ? Chase your losses ? My advice is take a walk think honestly about your game and then decide to play an extra buy in ?

I think we each have our own signals for when we should take a break. (Some of can recognize these signals and some of us don't.) Perhaps for kennydawgg the signal is losing 30 big bets, but I bet it is something more psychological If a 30 big bet stop loss works for him. That's great. But to stay in the game just because its a good game is a mistake if you have become a bad player. You need to recognize when you are playing bad and then do something about it. Including to just stop playing. When I first started playing 20 years ago (3/6 limit) I would play until I either lost a rack, was up a rack or had played for 2 hours. I'd take a break go for a walk, eat etc. Then maybe I'd return to the game, and maybe not. This guaranteed that I was never in psychological stress. This worked very well for me. Now of course I have deeper pockets and more stamina.

I don't consider six solid players and three maniacs capping it every hand to be a "good table". I'm guaranteed to have tricky players on BOTH sides of me in every hand, and with super high variance. And if it causes me to slow down my own raising, then that's even worse. That's more than just a bet or two here and there, that can be the difference of an entire rack in one hand.

Why are you playing this game? It doesn't sound very good to me.

IMO, usually the first time quitting enters your mind is when you should quit, or at least take a decent break. If you're even thinking about leaving the table, it's a good sign you're not playing your A game. Of course, this is much easier said than done, and I am hardly ever able to do it myself, but I use it as my yardstick so to speak.

This statement it true but.............

Well for most people losing and or playing bad will effect their mental state and eventually make the -EV in that game. (or close to neutral and wasting their time) When I mean most people I mean just about everyone myself included. I find that once I'm down a certain amount I start to lose some of my aggression because I'm afraid I'll run into the top of my opponent range.

We all know when we should quit for the nite, the good players do it and come back next time!

+1 to the losing the aggression! Makes the few pots you win smaller and also contributes to playing bad and tilt

And I guess I'm just trying to find he point when I should quit.

When you start wondering if you should quit, you should probably quit.

two buys ins and I'm out unless I think I have an edge, then MAYBE one more.

I got into the Venetian 8/16 game w $2 chips for 6 racks and left a small winner... I also got stuck in the 100/200 B game over the WSOP in 2010 for more than I would like to ever think about again and left down $1k.

My point is that if the game is good then play on. But be prepard to swing swing swing... I dont tilt all that much in limit like I do in NL so I think I can adjust and still play a solid B game when stuck a good amount.