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Jennifer Harman
May 9, 2005
Being a winning player isn't only
about playing good cards - it's also
about making good decisions. And there
is one important decision you face
every time you sit down in a cash
game: Should I quit, or should I keep
playing?
When should you keep
playing?
I see so many players playing short
hours when they're winning, and long
hours when they're losing. It should
be the other way around.
When you are winning in the game,
at least a few of the other players
must be losing. And when your
opponents are losing, they often
aren't playing their best. But you
are.
When you're winning, other players
fear you; you have a good table image.
And when you have a good table image,
you can get away with things that you
can't seem to when you're losing. For
one thing, you can bluff more. Usually
a losing player is scared to get
involved with a winning player, so
it's easier for you to pick up pots.
You can represent more hands than you
actually have because your opponents
believe you're hitting every flop.
The only time to quit when you're
winning is when you are tired, or when
you start playing badly.
When should you call it a
day?
Many players can't seem to quit
when they are losing. You have to
remember that there will always be
another poker game -- if not tomorrow,
then the day after, or the week after.
I like to think of poker as one
continuous game going on for my whole
career. So, if I'm losing more than 30
big bets in the game, I usually quit.
There are a couple of reasons I do
this: For one, if I lose a ton of
money in one day, I don't feel so hot
the next day. That means if I go in to
play the next day, I might not be able
to play my best game. I might actually
have to take a few days off to get my
head straight. Another reason is that
when I'm losing more than 30 bets, I
might not be playing that well. I
might think I'm playing my
"A" game, but in reality,
I'm probably not. You can't be as
objective about your play when you're
losing. After all, we are not robots;
we're just human beings.
Jennifer Harman
Play Online Poker
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