Poker: When to walk away

There are certain strategies I’ve talked about regarding when to walk away from the blackjack table, either as a winner or to avoid losing too much. But the same rules and strategies don’t necessarily apply for poker. So what’s the rule here? When should you clap your hands once and call it a night?

The short answer is: It depends. The first thing I’d consider is what the table has been like? More specifically, how have you been losing if you’re down? Has it been your careless play or the poor play of others getting lucky? If it’s the former, I’d be honest about it, collect what chips you have left and call it a night. It’s probably time to reassess how you handle yourself in the heat of the moment. Don’t beat yourself up too much, have a drink and learn from your mistakes. However, if some loose canon has been raising with rags the whole night and just getting lucky against you, I’d strongly consider reloading if you have the bankroll. At some point, his stupid play is going to pay off huge for you. It wouldn’t be a hunch, either. It would be playing the odds, which is what you should be doing in poker the vast majority of the time, anyway.

If you’re in the red at your favorite online poker sites, though, it can easily be just as tough a decision. When you’re on the losing end, the draw to stay is to “just get back to even,” (although we all know you never do this even if you do something claw your way back to the starting point.)

When you’re winning, though, there’s no roof unless you’ve set one for yourself. You just want to ride out the feeling and the payoff until there’s literally nobody left to play. Bad strategy, especially if you’re sitting no-limit, because all it takes is one hand and a little over confidence to see it crashing down around you. My recommended strategy for walking away a winner is a combination of two things. 1) Have you played longer than an hour? And 2) Did you just score a huge win? If the answer is yes to both, then I tip the dealer and pick up and leave. I don’t care how many sore faces stare back at me, I’m going to have a steak. And so should you.