No matter how good you are at online poker, there are days when you are going to lose. It’s a simple fact of life and the game itself and knowing when to just walk away from your current session will do your bankroll a world of good. In limit poker, it’s wise to quit if you have a swing of forty big bets or more either way. Forty big bets in a limit game is a lot and having swings more than this can drive you insane as you play. The only real reason to break the 40-big-bet rule is if you’re in a really fantastic game that’s rewarding you.

Here’s some questions that you may want to ask yourself if you think you are tilting:
• Do you think your opponents are bluffing all the time? (They’re not. Really.)
• Are you really trying to break even for the day? (If you’ve put yourself in a hole, it’s a good idea to just walk away for a bit instead of fighting back when you’re distracted by your losses.)
• Do you want to get back in the action as soon as possible? (If you’re that eager to lose more money, then you need to calm down.)

If you answered yes to any of these, then step away from the table. You’re outthinking yourself and the other players and that leads to bad play. Yes, it can be very hard to give up the game but taking an objective look at how your behavior at the table is affecting your bankroll and play can help you be a better player in the future.

It’s possible of course that you may just be tired. If you find yourself falling asleep at the table (which is even easier to do if you’re online) or have played for more than ten hours at a stretch, then you need to take a break immediately. While it’s not uncommon to play more than ten hours over the course of a day, it’s better to engage the game in short bursts when possible and take regular breaks. There’s a reason that the WSOP has mandated breaks every few hours and why many pros use that time to take a nap or do something besides think about the game.