When Should You Take a Break From Poker?

  • Thread starter Thread starter poliaris747
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Pete Ski said:
If you don't feel that you are playing your best game you should think about taking a break. I enjoy the competition and like any other game if you are not playing your best you have little chance to do well.
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That's right, you only need to make the right choice! A break is sometimes just a physical need to do, otherwise the consequences could be dire!!
 
kowrip said:
Those are all my own words ! 🙂 I guess it does sound like I'm preaching here, but I truly believe this. Most things are healthy in moderation, but are harmful when done in extremes. Granted, there is a bit of variation. For example, a professional poker player is obviously going to be spending a high percentage of their time playing poker. That's because poker is basically their full time job. For the rest of us, I think it's healthy to put some limits on how much time we spend on poker. I think it helps your game too, because it makes you really focus on and learn from the times you do play.
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Your advice is very good and balanced! Yes, we are all Amateurs in the game of poker, and just need to get away from the game that has absorbed many of us!
 
I usually know it is time to take a break from poker when I stop getting angry when I take a bad beat. Usually I will get mad. But if I have been playing a long session or played to many days in a row I will just be numb and start making bad decisions.
 
Tbone461 said:
I usually know it is time to take a break from poker when I stop getting angry when I take a bad beat. Usually I will get mad. But if I have been playing a long session or played to many days in a row I will just be numb and start making bad decisions.
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Yes that's right, after a long gaming session which lasted a few weeks, I become like a wooden statue! I couldn't even look at the cards!!
 
I took a year break going out with 3 around hundred dollar checks, paid out from my fav 3 sites in 2017 thinking I wasted too much time sitting staring at a screen.... unfortunately I'm still trying to regain the patience and discipline I had to grind that cash out 1 BigBet at a time playing super strict BRM. Aye I miss the old me lol I gotta get back to that
 
for me

the main time to take a step back from the tables is when i feel agitated
because this causes me to play silly hands (like more then normal lol)

especially at cash games won a 200 GTD one afternoon after like 4 hours of sitting there and i was tired as i had no sleep the night before and was straining to keep my eyes open plus the caffine wasnt working and i got donked for 14.00 on my first hand as i tried to slow bet my aces and they caught 2 pair on the river when i was beaten by a 10 2 off

it caused me to try and get it back faster only to discover that i was broke after about 8 hands which made me even more furious and i tried to then deposit money to get the losses back only to lose even more.

so lesson learned that when i feel that way i stay away
and also now when i win a tourny i make a swift exit from that site because chances are the cards will then turn on you in the end
 
This is my opinion and nothing more or less. Never. I think a lot of people get so tied into playing for money that they don’t first learn to love the game for what it is. By this I mean they get agitated when they aren’t winning and a lot of times stop playing for awhile even years for some people but personally I just switch to playing for fun and enjoying the game for what it is when things aren’t going the way I want them to. If you don’t enjoy the game when you aren’t trying to win anything it can be very hard to stick with it when real money is on the line. I also think playing when you are not having the best luck is a very good experience and truly tests your ability to control your emotions, stick to your strategy etc. However switch to playing with play money and enjoy the game 🙂
 
boomboxcafe23 said:
I took a year break going out with 3 around hundred dollar checks, paid out from my fav 3 sites in 2017 thinking I wasted too much time sitting staring at a screen.... unfortunately I'm still trying to regain the patience and discipline I had to grind that cash out 1 BigBet at a time playing super strict BRM. Aye I miss the old me lol I gotta get back to that
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It seems to me that something can break in the middle of every poker player, and then it is very difficult to restore everything and start playing the right poker! I understand that to win 100% of games impossible, but I do not know how in a month playing every day to win or what?
 
donkey2019 said:
the main time to take a step back from the tables is when i feel agitated
because this causes me to play silly hands (like more then normal lol)

especially at cash games won a 200 GTD one afternoon after like 4 hours of sitting there and i was tired as i had no sleep the night before and was straining to keep my eyes open plus the caffine wasnt working and i got donked for 14.00 on my first hand as i tried to slow bet my aces and they caught 2 pair on the river when i was beaten by a 10 2 off

it caused me to try and get it back faster only to discover that i was broke after about 8 hands which made me even more furious and i tried to then deposit money to get the losses back only to lose even more.

so lesson learned that when i feel that way i stay away
and also now when i win a tourny i make a swift exit from that site because chances are the cards will then turn on you in the end
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Yes it happened to me several times, I know my problem is tilt, have learned to recognize as the tide covers me, but the problem is that I never learned to step away from your Desk!!
 
Cody5991 said:
This is my opinion and nothing more or less. Never. I think a lot of people get so tied into playing for money that they don’t first learn to love the game for what it is. By this I mean they get agitated when they aren’t winning and a lot of times stop playing for awhile even years for some people but personally I just switch to playing for fun and enjoying the game for what it is when things aren’t going the way I want them to. If you don’t enjoy the game when you aren’t trying to win anything it can be very hard to stick with it when real money is on the line. I also think playing when you are not having the best luck is a very good experience and truly tests your ability to control your emotions, stick to your strategy etc. However switch to playing with play money and enjoy the game 🙂
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Yes, really understand and love POKER is very hard, many see only money, but poker is a sports game!
 
I understand that this topic has been fully discussed everyone ? Anyone else want to add their opinion?
 
For me poker is my main hobby and maybe I do not play every single day but I try to play every week. Moment when I take the break from poker is when I have a loosing streak - no matter how good cards I have and how well and carefully I play, I just cannot win anything. This is when I take few more days of rest from poker to clear my mind and come back to it fresh and ready to enjoy it again! 🙂
 
misiomick said:
For me poker is my main hobby and maybe I do not play every single day but I try to play every week. Moment when I take the break from poker is when I have a loosing streak - no matter how good cards I have and how well and carefully I play, I just cannot win anything. This is when I take few more days of rest from poker to clear my mind and come back to it fresh and ready to enjoy it again! 🙂
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Yes, all the same as me, only my break the game was delayed for 2-3 weeks. Now I try to enter the game again!
 
poliaris747 said:
I'm pretty much playing poker, but last year main job Boad all the time from poker, a year ago on the day I could iprepare steps doitt for 8 - 9 hours , now a week 20 - 30 hours! But friends know all the answers to the question - what to do when just in all the tournaments is not enough to ITM! Can there come a time when I stop playing poker completely?

😕😕😕
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I would recomment to set a limit. E.g. you play for one year. According to your statements you already practice a lot. That´s great but when you still loose money you have to decide:
a.) Either you play Poker as a hobby and you probably keep loosing
b.) Or you overthink your current strategies, try to tweak your tactics and go for it.

Greets and all the best!
 
drubas said:
I would recomment to set a limit. E.g. you play for one year. According to your statements you already practice a lot. That´s great but when you still loose money you have to decide:
a.) Either you play Poker as a hobby and you probably keep loosing
b.) Or you overthink your current strategies, try to tweak your tactics and go for it.

Greets and all the best!
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No I did not set limits, for me it is not necessary! This is a problem I can handle!
 
take a break

hi you should take a break if your having a bad run if you chase money in poker you lose stop when the fun stops ( take part in the freerolls to get experince)
 
I stop playing a little when I feel very tired or when I see that I'm losing too much
 
Think there are several times when you should take a break:
1. When you dont feel like playing
2. When you are tilting
3. When you do not feel like you have an edge
 
TeUnit said:
Think there are several times when you should take a break:
1. When you dont feel like playing
2. When you are tilting
3. When you do not feel like you have an edge
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Yes, my biggest problem is tilt ! I can feel it coming , but I can't stop it in time!
 
When you are at your peak bankroll in total.

And when you are frustrated and losing games and sports betting and martingale rouletting going over your roll.

Cash out and play play money. And put massive fake bets on. Anything but tilt playing poker.
 
The game of poker should be stopped when your decisions are not governed by logic but by emotions and the desire to win quickly. It is extremely important to keep thinking logically and not to get carried away.
 
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