Have you ever been in a good game and have won a lot, and then suddenly your luck started going downhill, and you ended up losing more than you had won? What started of as a great game ended up making you feel like a pathetic loser, and left you wondering whether you should have quit gracefully, and with a good feeling while you were still ahead?
This is such a tricky scenario that there can be no straight yes or no answer for it. If you look through various other articles related to it, you would find that almost all the “gambling gurus” are against this trend, and dismissing the idea as almost stupid. But then you have some very good players that are amongst the best in the world, who quit when they are on the peak. So it is confusing to analyze what actually needs to be done, and what is the smartest thing to do in such a situation?
The move would greatly differ from person to person. Occasional gamblers will quit because they feel that they have played enough and need to spend time with their wife and kids. If you are a professional, this will really not be your reason. Now whether the girlfriend is more important or poker is a personal choice, but let us take a scenario where there are no such other distractions. So should you quit when you are ahead?
If you have been playing a good game, and you are on the roll, obviously the best player on the table, there should be no good reason to quit. We are not talking about the beginners luck here, but a fully developed game plan, where everything is going just right for you. But in games like poker, it doesn’t take too long for a good table to turn into bad one. If you feel the situation is changing, and you risk being the sucker now, there is no reason why you should not get out, or at least leave the table. While it is important to play to your full potential, especially when you are winning, there is no reason to foolishly put down good money after winning a lot just to prove a point!
Then there are some players that do stupid things that make sure that they lose heavily. If you feel that’s what happening to you, just quit gracefully, and with the winnings. Come back with a fresh mind, and try your hand later. This will not necessarily mean that you will win the next day (in fact you may lose very heavily), but the idea is to minimize the risk, or to make sure that you do not play when you are sure to lose.
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