When you're losing in a cash session, how do you decide whether to keep playing or quit?

nabmom · Thursday at 3:01 AM

In our last VIP question, I addressed bad poker habits and mentioned one of mine: Learning how to walk away from the cash tables when I was on a losing streak. As a follow-up to that question (What bad poker habit took you the longest to break?) I thought I'd ask you cash game fans about this.

How do you decide whether or not to keep playing when you are having a losing cash session?

Sunz of Beaches · Thursday at 4:25 AM

When i think that the players i play against are worse than me and do mistakes in situations where i dont. However if things are really going south i would probably quit after losing like 5 buy-ins in one session.

hardongear · Thursday at 8:20 AM

Long as there are worse players at the table I'm staying and going to keep playing either until I'm too tired to play or till real life problems are calling. As a rec/hobby player I get so little time to play I have too play when I have the time. I typically don't honestly have a stop/loss number cause during the week if I'm lucky I get maybe 2-4 hours at a time to play so I play the duration of the time I have.

Weekends when I have all day and 8-10+ hours I play MTT's....no stop/loss number needed.

Cheers!!!

najisami · Thursday at 11:41 AM

I usually decide when to leave before sitting at a cash table. As soon as I lose a certrain predetermined amount.
If I'm winning, I keep going unless I feel tired.

fundiver199 · Sunday at 7:01 AM

Basically there are two reasons, why I might cut a (losing) session short and end it earlier than planned:

1) I cant find good games
2) I am beginning to feel tilted

I mostly play tournaments these days, but the idea is the same, except that with tournaments I obviously need to finish those, that already began, whereas with cash games you can stand up any time, you want to.

Stringy · Sunday at 8:48 AM

either stop when it's all gone or when I still have enough to go into another game

Argonaut · Sunday at 11:08 AM

When my wife has more chips than anyone else, it's time to go.

FoxMS · Sunday at 12:03 PM

I don't worry about small losses because I play disciplined and stick to bankroll management. So after a bad game I just take a break for a day or two.

Tero · Sunday at 7:12 PM

There is always a number in my mind that I'm willing to spend but not more. That is the bottom line.
I never play long sessions, and I always keep my eye on the total amount of rush cash players in my buy-in level. If that number is not high enough I'm out of there.

Colbefc · Sunday at 7:51 PM

If I am breaking into money that is not put aside for poker I would pack in immediately. There is always
another day.

anasslaaleg · 2026-06-22T02:19:13-0400

For me, the key is separating bad luck from bad decisions. If I'm still focused, making good decisions, and following my strategy, I may continue playing. But if frustration starts affecting my judgment, it's time to step away.
A short break can save a lot more money than trying to force a comeback.

Nameless14 · 2026-06-22T03:20:34-0400

For me, the deciding factor isn't how much I'm losing—it's how well I'm playing.

If I'm losing because of bad beats or coolers but still making good decisions, I'll usually keep playing. But if I notice myself getting frustrated, chasing losses, calling too light, or forcing bluffs, that's my signal to leave.

One thing that helped me was setting a stop-loss before I sit down. It removes emotion from the decision and prevents me from trying to win everything back in one session.

I've learned that there's no shame in ending a losing session. The chips will still be there tomorrow, but if tilt takes over, the losses can get much bigger than they need to be.

dreamer13 · 2026-06-22T03:43:59-0400

If people want to strive to be the best poker player in every conceivable aspect, great, go for it, they may or may not make more money, but it's important to be honest with yourself if you notice a tendency you can't shake and adjust your decisions to be the most profitable version of yourself.

guroove · 2026-06-22T04:49:38-0400

the best thing to do is to quit playing cash and starting grinding tournaments

valeski 28 · 2026-06-22T19:00:08-0400

Since I don´t like to play long sessions , I usually stop playing cash games after 1 or 2 hours when I feel tired, no matter whetherI´m winning or not.

Gutshot Gus · 2026-06-22T23:50:42-0400

Play happy or don't play.
You should be able to approach the game with a pleasant attitude.
When you're playing unhappy, you aren't playing your best game.
You start reaching- playing lesser hands- or chasing.
You don't have to be in a towering rage for emotions to affect your game- just being grumpy will do.

Play happy or don't play.

marco198121 · 2026-06-23T11:24:43-0400

I don't like cash games; bankruptcies tend to happen in cash games because there's no set target.

Search

When you're losing in a cash session, how do you decide whether to keep playing or quit?

nabmom

Moderator

Sunz of Beaches

Sunz Tzu

hardongear

Legend

najisami

Legend

fundiver199

Legend

Stringy

Legend

Argonaut

Legend

FoxMS

Legend

Tero

Legend

Colbefc

Legend

anasslaaleg

Visionary

Nameless14

Enthusiast

dreamer13

Legend

guroove

Rock Star

valeski 28

Legend

Gutshot Gus

Legend

marco198121

Rock Star

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site

Follow us