Why A Poker Stop-Loss Limit Is Always A Bad Idea

Unlike a stop-loss limit, which has a number of reasons that could justify its use, a stop-win limit in poker is just asking for trouble. Before I give the three main reasons why setting a stop-win limit is such a bad idea, I will give one specific example where setting a stop-win limit could be beneficial (but even in this extreme case it’s not crystal clear).

The only time someone could justify setting a stop-win limit is if the player has a certain personality quirk where they play quite wildly when they are winning. While not an unheard of problem -quite a few people seem to think they are invincible once they start winning some money-these situations, with this type of player, are quite uncommon.

Ok, now on to the reasons why stop-wins are a horrible idea for 99% of us. Typically you can trace the reason for your wins back to one of these three reasons. Sometimes your wins will be for two or even all three of these reasons, and in these cases you’ll book your biggest wins.

When you’re winning you likely have an edge in the game

Unless it’s just a hot streak of cards -which I will explain in the second reason-you’re winning for a reason. And the likely reason is that you are facing some weak competition! And it’s always a bad idea to quit a game when you have an edge.

When you have an edge you need to push it, so quitting a soft game because you’re up is a lousy idea. Some people think they can only win so much before things go sour, but I’ve personally made $1,200 in a $5/$10 limit game (about 5 buy-ins), and I’ve seen people sitting in $200 No Limit games with over $2,500 on the table. When the competition is weak, you can never win too much.

When you’re winning your opponents start to fear you

Suppose you are winning because of a hot streak; you can still use this to your advantage. Think about how you view the guy who is playing a solid game and winning pot after pot: You respect these players and stay out of there way! When you’re winning your opponents will fear your play; they’ll respect your bluffs; and avoid you at all costs. This is why when good players start winning they typically keep winning: 1) they’re good players to begin with 2) they’re able to better manipulate their opponents because they’re winning 3) and lastly, they’re running good to boot!

When you’re winning you’re probably playing your ‘A’ game

The last reason that makes setting a stop-win limit a bad idea is that you’re likely playing a near perfect poker game. You can’t expect to play your best every time you sit down, so you need to take advantage of the nights that you’re in “The Zone”. Just like an NBA player might have an off night, so do poker players. Similarly, when an NBVA player is on fire his teammates keep feeding him the ball, they don’t shy away thinking he’s bound to cool off.