Quitting while you are ahead, or behind.

With online poker, sometimes it is best to move on after you have reached your goal at a table. Even if the table is full of ATM's, why give them a shot at winning all their losses back? Sometimes I have reached my goal quickly, thus in my mind I tell myself to stay and keep taking advantage of the ATM's. Then before I know it I have lost 1/2 my winnings back. If I had listened to my goal, I would have moved on to a new table and banked my winnings.

When the flop just makes you flinch, learn to not trap yourself. Listen to your instincts. I will not chase a straight into a flush chase for example, or the bottom end of a straight into the top (like holding 9 10 on a J Q x flop). Why hit the straight (or bottom of the straight) and have someone either push all in or bet 1/2 the pot? You are calling 1/2 the pot, and most bad players are calling the all in hoping it was a bluff or bad bet.

I just ran through a streak that all but crippled the few dollars I had left online. For example, I turned a Ace high flush then the river pairs the board, yep the other player had 2 pair and hit their FH. Within 10 hands I run into another FH, and within 2 more rounds quads. The day before, on a different site, I ran into trips about 4 times in an hour. Each time I had a high pair and the other player called my preflop raises. One time the other player called with something like 6 10 suited and the board flopped a pair of sixes. The other times my monsters were cracked by low pairs. In cash games I love to see the flop with a pocket pair. And I guess I ctach a set the usual 12% or so of the time. So to see other players hitting their sets left and right, against me, was a real let down.

Playing online can be real frustrating. The game is fast, and so easy to participate in.

I plan to lay low for a while and play some live poker in September.