Texas Holdem Tip - When to Quit and Keep Your Shoes

If you use no other texas holdem tip then I hope you use this one.

This one skill could save you truckloads of cash depending on what stakes you play. It is one of the simplest rules yet many poker players find it so hard to apply.

I am talking about quitting a game when you aren't playing your best (i.e. have just taken a few beats and feeling frustrated) or the game has gone bad and there are only good players left.

Read this page carefully and understand this texas holdem tip...

Plan before acting, fight only when you know you can win.
- Zhuge Liang

A Story

I remember a summer night, with birds chirping in unison and the stars playing in the sky. It felt especially nice that night as I was playing my regular session of texas holdem.

The game was good and I was winning.

Then a hand comes along. I get pocket fives in late position. I raise it up and only the blinds call.

Flop comes down K 9 5 rainbow

"Sweet!" I think to myself. The small blind suddenly leads out, the big blind mucks his hand. I just call because the board is so dry.

Turn comes a harmless 8 completing the rainbow.

The small blind suddenly pushes his whole stack in, that's about 3-4 times the pot. I call happily.

He turns over his 74 offsuit and the river brings the dreaded 6 completing his straight.

A Drop of Sweat

Runs down my forehead. A few of the bad players leave and are replaced by solid regulars. I determine to keep playing because I feel just fine (in hindsight: who was I kidding but myself?).

Minutes turn into hours and I am still sitting in the game that has now deteriorated.

I am still losing and I suddenly realize what has happened. The game is no longer worth playing in, in my frustration I had bypassed my own judgment and it had led to me making some very stupid decisions.

And these decisions cost me money, they must be avoided at all cost if you're striving to become a professional poker player and make money from the game.

Learning to Recognize

If you can learn to recognize when it's time to quit, it will make a dramatic impact on your win rate in holdem. And I hope I can teach you how with this texas holdem tip that I am talking about.

Many could-be winning players play well when everything is going smoothly but when they hit a rough patch they absolutely destroy themselves by playing horribly and not quitting the game and doing something else.

The common response to losing money in a poker game is to get even. You start thinking you can't quit until you're even otherwise that's a sign you suck at poker!

On the contrary, if you can quit when running bad and playing bad you will rock at poker. And with this texas holdem tip I think it will be easy for you to work into your routine.

The Voice In Your Head

It is easy to talk yourself into playing long sessions when you are losing. And talking yourself into taking your wins fast.

You have to understand that it will be the most profitable to play when you are winning because your table image will be good.

What does a good table image mean?

Players fearing you
Players not playing back at you
Players not calling you down lightly
Players calling you down too lightly

#3 and #4 you will have to spot yourself. Some players react tilty versus you winning lots of pots and some react with fear.

I Sucked At It

I was awful at quitting a game when I started playing bad or the game became bad.

I took it one step at a time and just tried to do one thing better each day I was playing. And it has paid off. I believe my win rate in poker is a lot higher because of my increased ability to minimize my tilt and quit a game when necessary.

It is just to easy online to switch tables (if a game is bad) or just close down the tables and come back an hour later. Use this to your advantage!

I must admit one thing though...

I still have problems with quitting a game, and it still costs me some money. Don't believe that I have finished my journey.

I am still on my path and so are you, we are just at different places. My goal and hope is to help you advance faster.

Summary

Learn to quit a game when it turns bad or you turn bad
Learn your triggers (like discussed in the first discipline article)
Learn to play longer when winning (if possible)
Take one step at a time
Read lots of texas holdem tips at Texas Holdem Poker 101 ;-)

Want to Keep Your Wallet Too? Read More!

Finished with this Texas Holdem Tip? Read the Next Article on Minimizing Tilt