Anyone in any situation can get upset. Go over to the B&M forum and you'll find threads on hit-n-run there too. Personally, hit-n-run in a casino is nothing and should be tolerated without question. But then a casino environment is more business-like than a "normal" home game.

In a "normal" home game, there is more of a social obligation. It is this social obligation that frowns on hit-n-run. It is seen as "a friend" wanting to make money off everyone more than enjoying a game and shooting the breeze "with the boys." Of course the goal of poker is to make money and I would take every single penny I could get off my friends. But the friendships, the conversations, the joking/put-downs, sport watching/gambling, side bets, etc., these are usually the main goals of those who attend a normal home game.

But let's clear up what happened in he OP. It was not a hit-n-run. He played 2+ hours and it sounds like he was in many hands during that time and decided to cash out early. A true hit-n-run would have been if he double or tripled up in the first few hands the game and then cashed and left. What left a sour taste in everyone mouth of the OP was the fact he claimed he was getting out early due to work in the morning and then stay another hour to socialize. When he could have continued to play that hour. Very poor etiquette but not a hit-n-run. They had chances to get "their" money back during the two hours he played. They didn't and then had to endurance his presence as he stayed after taking "their" money off the table.

To be honest this all sounds like sour grapes.

Its his money he is risking so it should be his choice to leave when he wants. I make a point of never giving notice because then the game plays differently. There were plenty of tomes where I knee a player was up big and gave notice and I just bullied him out of pots knowing he was going to protect his win.

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I disagree that the OP didn't sound like a hit and run. He was described as playing about three hands, two of the hands being aces. And two hours is still a very short period of time for a typical home game. I've never seen someone come to a home game (at the beginning of the game) planning to play only two hours.

We don't have any rules when it comes to leaving early. Everyone tries to be considerate when they are planning on leaving before the games ends. For some, that means announcing before the game that they'll be leaving at a specific time; others announce 30 minutes before they plan to cash out; and others will announce their last orbit. This has worked without too much fuss so far.

The closest we've come to a "hit-and-run" occurred at our last game when a player announced his last orbit 1 or 2 hands after tripling up. The entire story being that we had been playing for roughly 6 hours and his ride home had busted 3 buy-ins about 30 minutes before.

I guess I stand alone with the " gotta stay until a certain time" rule. With a home game, you don't have a constant flow of players. If you invite the boys over for the Saturday night game, I like the idea of ensuring you have a game that atleast lasts until midnight. If the two big winners cash out early, you have lost a lot of money from the table and down two players. On the other hand, if a player hits his stop lost and lives , atleast there is still a lot of money on the table.

To me, your inviting players over for the night, not to cut out at 10PM early

I used to have a small problem with this in my game. We play a set rotation of games and I put in these "expectations" that have worked well for anyone that reserves a seat:

1) Play through the full rotation of games, or
2) Play until they have reached their stop loss, or
3) Let me know ahead of time what time they need to leave. When that time comes, that will be their last orbit whether they are up or down. They don't get to stay if they're stuck to try and get even and I have no problem with that as they'd have no problem leaving if they were up.

This has helped keep the game going strong for most of the night and no one has ever complained. It even kept a couple of our players who used to "have to leave" around a while longer in future games. If someone really wants to leave, I'll cash them out, but chances are they won't get invited back.

Now, it can be a little pointless for one or two specific people as when they're up they'll sit and fold every hand until they've met their obligation to cash out...

A host wanting to keep their game going and keep the majority of players happy while keeping money in play is not sour grapes.

True. But, it's also the host's choice to not invite players like that back who are bad for the game. These aren't casino games who have a constant influx of players and even when you have a wait list it's harder to get people to come once it starts getting late.

I don't have a specific rule, but I do expect that people plan to play most of the session. The players in our local group are unusually cognizant of what it takes to keep a home game running strong and usually announce their need to arrive late or leave early well ahead of time, such as when they accept the invitation. A couple of players will even offer to give up their reserved seat for another player who can play the entire session. Also, our target end time is usually pushed back for another 30 minutes to 2 hours because we just can't seem to get our fill in a mere 7 hours.

Although most cash games that I've played in more than ten years ago have had rules about giving advance notice before leaving, I've never fully understood it. If a person needs to quit early because they're tapped out, tired and facing a long drive, or whatever, that's perfectly understandable. If somebody wants to protect a win, especially if they are usually a donator, what's the point in making them fold and pay blinds for another 30 minutes? I want people to want to play in my game! Only once have I experienced a hit-and-run, from two neighbors that my sister had invited, but that wasn't even their most egregious offense. Needless to say, they were never invited back.

All 100% true and agreed with. The only difference between you and me, I think, is that I don't have an explicit rule about leaving early because it has never been a problem in my game.

I still expect my players to stay until the end of the game (or until they hit their stop loss). If a problem occurred, my approach would be to talk one on one with the problem child. If that didn't work, the next step would be removal from the invite list.

Makes sense they way you do it. I assume everyone is on the same page so it's not a problem. I got my idea from another game that I actually never played in but heard about their rule. 100nl You had to either lose $200 or stay until a certain time, Midnight I believe.

Back in the old days ( pre Moneymaker) we never had this problem. Nobody ever left a game early when they were up.

Sorry for the delay.

Thanks for all of your comments and input. I've played a few home games lately where there has been a lot of angle shooting and things like slow rolling where these kinds of questionable "things" have been on my mind.

That one individual in question has a bit of a stigma for playing long sessions when even, stuck or slightly ahead but then putting his stack on "lock down" until he cashes out shortly after winning a significant pot. Like I said, that's his prerogative. It's not my style, but he is free to come AND go whenever he chooses (as with anybody else).

I don't want to neccessarily create strict rules, but it would be nice to somehow lay out some rough guide lines about etiquette, or what is known as "common courtesy" (to most of us on 2+2) in a way that isn't going to impede the home game environment. I want people to have fun, but at the same time preserve the integrity of the game of poker and of course the home game itself.

All I know is, personally, when I have to leave.... it's not like the decision to get up and go is something that happens suddenly. I know when the idea comes to mind and I usually speak up and say something at that time. (Everybody gets that unexpected call or txt and those circumstances aren't ever an issue)

Often, we get txt messages asking if there's any room at a time when the game is full. It would be nice to say "It's full at the moment but Bob says he's leaving in a 1/2 hour, or at 11, or whenever..." It does happen where a few people get up and go without warning "or notice" and then we have 1/2 a table and hear someone say "I wish they would've said something a bit sooner. A couple of guys asked me if there were any open seats and I said that we had a full table. I just texted them and they all got back to me telling me that they've made other plans..."

Anyways, I'm not being sour. I understand that a player on a downswing might want to lock it up and book a winning session and all that. What prompted this was the fact that after winning his last of 3 big pots, he said that he had to get going and cashed out 7-8 buy-ins and then stayed at the table for almost another hour before finally leaving. (even offering to be the dealer for us for "a few hands") THAT was what rubbed a few people the wrong way.

Anyways, someone was asking to see the new poker room. I don't know how to post pictures on here but I made a slideshow on YouTube (under 3 mins long) of the progress pics I've taken throughout the reno.

Here is the link for those interested: Feel free to ffwd to 2:10 if you just want to see the final product

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie1aGczInNs

Room looks fantastic

Nice!

A hard rule is obnoxious, imo. But a consequence-free "house rule" of 30minutes notice is a good idea if only to alert people that you have the expectation that they stick around, and discourage them from sowing sour grapes among the other players (especially the guy who just lost a big pot).

If someone is genuinely hit-n-running your home game, maybe explain how caustic that is to the game in private, but if the player knows what he decided to do, just uninvite him. It's not a casino, so you get to decide who you want to play with.

In my small home game, we take a break for 10 minutes every two hours and that's when you have the option to cash out (also a little break for the dealer).

You can pull your chips off the table at any time, but you still can't cash them in except on the break periods.

And obviously, if you cash out in a session and want back in, you need to buy back in for either your previous cash out or the maximum buy-in, whichever is higher.

Keeps the game flowing and nobody really hangs out and doesn't play. Big stack rocks will eventually donate back when they start to get a little squirmy.

This is pretty interesting. Seems like it wold be effective in this situation and most others who have a hit and run problem. Only problem I see would be someone planning on leaving, and then winning a humongous pot right before break.

Not cool. If you have to leave, OK then, but don't say I need to go home then stick around for an hour when you're up 7 buyins. Yes, that's a hit and run. If it happened again, the guy would be off my home game list.

Who cares? If someone wins a big pot on the last hand of the night are you all saying the game can't end or when someone says it's their last orbit and wins a big pot that they now have to continue to play. That would be ridiculous. just like seeing that situation as a problem.

I don't have a hit-and-run rule for the same reason that I don't have a lose-and-run rule.

:/

What I meant was that right before break, a dude wins a huge pot, then decides to cash out at the break that's about to happen. This would largely be viewed as a hit and run because you don't have to declare when you're cashing out in this particular system.

I have only come across this once luckily in the last couple of years.

Little overview of the particular cash games he comes to:

Blinds 20c/40c Buy-in $20-$40
Average spend per person is $60
No of players typically around 16-18 (2 tables)
Game runs from 7pm - 11:30pm on a Monday night

He would build his stack to $100 then declare he's cashing out and leaving.
On the first instance he got INCREDIBLY lucky in a 4 way all in for a pot that was over $200. At about 9pm then decided he was going to leave.

After he left it was discussed in length, but it was the first time it had every happened and we didnt really know what to do. so as the host I decided that if it happened again I'd be declaring at the beginning of the game hit and runners wont be invited back.

So it happened again by the same person.

• I now set in place, the time of the game is from 7pm-11:30pm and players are expected to stay to the end (if they have the money).
• If you have to leave early you need to inform me at the beginning of the game, i.e. one person does shift work and often has to leave at 10pm to get to work for 10:30pm.
• Emergencies are fine, but if 'emergencies' start occurring every time you get chipped up, be expected to go on the waiting list...

If some one does have an emergency I log the time they cashed out, next to the amount they cashed out. So if its regular I can see how much they paid in compared to how much they cashed out.

ok, but the whole point of the system is to restrict those possibilities to 2 or 3 moments per night. If someone wants to "game" this system by only hit-n-running when he hits right before one of the breaks, so be it. The other players can probably accept that low level of potential cashing-in.

Looks like opinion is fairly divided on this. I think that whatever works for your crew in YOUR homegame is the way you should go. As long as the rule has a consensus there is no right or wrong way to handle this. We don't have a set rule and we also don't have a hit and run problem. But if we had this kind of situation come up I have my view. A good player who wins big will likely stay at the table anyway. A weak player who luckboxes might hit and run, but his win may intice him to return next session and give it all back anyway. Stating an early leave time, busting your stop loss, or announcing a last orbit are all legit reasons and that's our "policy" (all voluntary)

If the player is good and leaves the game, then that's good for the game by helping other players win.

If the player is bad and leaves the game, that will encourage him to return and actually lose more next time because its "house money".

This "H&R" is really good for the game. I just don't see why a host would restrict someone from a game (which is not an easy thing to do in a home game) just because they left a cash game "early" (which is actually impossible in theory). I do understand if you have players that are uncomfortable with playing with 6 or less players, but I've never found that to be an issue personally. People get used to playing short and it actually improves there game.

The biggest problem my players have with it is that if a player hits and runs they do not have the opportunity to win their money back. Every one who turns up is expected to stay until the end of the evening which is always the same time, and if they are leaving early they notify be at the start of the game. (unless of course they run out of money).

Its highly unlikely on another night those players bring back with them what they cashed out, usually each player has their own budget on what to spend.

My home games consist of 2-3 tables of players though. so 'short handed' never really happens unless we get down to 10/11 players. (I do 9 max on the tables due to some of the 'bigboys' and comfort room hehe)