Do You Ever Leave a Cash Game After a Big Win?

[Nesehorn156]

Something I’ve noticed in cash games is that players react very differently after winning a big pot or doubling their stack. Some people immediately rack up and leave the table, while others stay and keep playing like nothing happened.

Part of me thinks leaving after a big win can protect your profit for the session, but another part feels like it might be better to stay if the game is still good.

What do you usually do after a big win in a cash game? Do you keep playing as long as the table is good, or do you sometimes call it a day and lock up the profit?

 

[daniel.g]

It all depends I typically have a budget and time allocated but it all depends on a feel more so online I hit my target and get out but sometime you get a feeling

 

[Tero]

Or some of them pop-out and come back with a smaller stack. If you have doubled or even tripled your stack there is no reason to risk it all when some 900bb guy tries to put you to the test.

 

[fundiver199]

The only reason to leave after a big win is risk management. A reasonable bankroll management rule can be to not risk more than 5% of your bankroll in a single hand. This is in top of the buyin rule. So say you have a rule of always having 40X the max buyin. At the start of the session you have $430, so you can play 10NL.

However you also dont want to risk more than $21,5 on a single hand. So if you are sitting with more than that on a table, and someone have you covered, then you sit out next big blind, move to another table and buy in for $10 again. Or if its a Zoom style table leave and enter again with the max buyin. Most sites allow you to do that.

Leaving "to lock up a win" is like the most silly reason of all. Most of us tend to play better, when things are going well. And sitting with a big stack can also make other players afraid of you and give more fold equity. So if anything it makes sense to extend winning sessions and cut short losing sessions, for instance by using a stop-loss like quitting, if we are down 300-400BB.

 

[KLEBE7]

Leaving just because you won is a mistake! If the players at the table are still making mistakes and you have an edge, you should stay. The goal isn't to 'win a session'; it's to make the most +EV decisions possible.

 

[jotis]

Leaving just because you won is a mistake! If the players at the table are still making mistakes and you have an edge, you should stay. The goal isn't to 'win a session'; it's to make the most +EV decisions possible.

There is logic in what you say, some players would perhaps rightly be content with doubling up ... but reading the table may make it worth the risk as you say

 

[burro]

In MTTs, you don’t have a choice. You play until you bust. In cash, after a good run, you suddenly have this decision: stay or leave.
I’ve had a few sessions lately where I doubled up early, and I caught myself thinking, “maybe I should just leave now and book the win.” That thought never really existed when I was grinding tournaments.
But the more I think about it, the more it feels like that mindset can be a leak. If the table is still soft and I’m playing well, leaving just because I’m up doesn’t really make sense long term. At the same time, I also noticed that after a big win, I sometimes play a bit looser without realizing it, like I’m protecting profit or playing with “house money.”
Right now, I’m trying to base the decision on two things: how good the table is and how sharp I still feel. If the table gets tougher or I feel my focus slipping, I leave. If not, I try to keep playing and treat it as just another session.
Still early in this transition, so I’m curious how others handle this. Do you guys actually set a “stop-win” for discipline, or do you ignore the result completely and just play as long as the game is good?

 

[antonis32123]

I never leave if I am a winner , that's a problem tore both on poker cash games and (nowadays) at the casino games . I also leave very late even in losses , cause I try to get back my lost money , that's a recipe for disaster . I don't leave the tables, but I see how easily the others abandon the table when I start winning even not so big , and I am left alone and then the table is closed . Disgusting behavior , one of the reasons why I like fast forward more than casual cash games in the micro nano stakes