When to Leave the Table?

Students often ask us when they should leave the poker room. Should they call it a night after a brutal bad beat, or walk away once they’ve scooped a massive pot? One of our students even uses a set number—when he’s hit his daily profit goal, he cashes out!

Those metrics can work. For some, they provide structure, help regulate emotions, and prevent tilt. But the truth is, professional players shouldn't care much about whether they win or lose on any given day. I certainly don't (anymore). Not because I’m immune to emotion—but because I’ve learned that short-term results are a distraction from long-term success. So for me, a big win or a bad beat doesn’t determine when I leave. If either one starts to affect your decision-making, though, then yes—you should absolutely walk away. Not because of the result itself, but because your edge is gone the moment your clarity is.

I’ve found a more useful signal: I leave the table when I catch myself hoping for good hands and favorable runouts to bail me out. That shift in mindset—from playing the players to praying for cards—is the red flag. It doesn’t always mean I’m tilted. Sometimes it’s just fatigue. Sometimes boredom. Sometimes my focus has drifted to something else in life that needs me more.

Whatever the cause, when you stop thinking like a strategist and start thinking like a gambler, it’s time to go.

And here's an application to real life: If poker is a microcosm of life—and I believe it is—then perhaps the same principle applies beyond the felt. You don’t quit when you lose or when you win. You quit when you're no longer fully present, when you're coasting, when you're letting circumstance—not skill—drive your decisions. That's when it's time to take a step back, regroup, and return only when you're ready to play with purpose again.