"Hitting and running"- wrong?

**Dice Man** · 26th November 2006, 07:53 PM

Is hitting and running a cash game wrong? By "hitting and running" I mean playing a cash game for something like 5-10 minutes, and leaving after you win a sizeable pot that puts you into a profit. I don't mean doubling up, or raising every pot massively in order to double up. And I don't mean the traditional (and proper) use of the term where a player enters a high stakes table, raises all in in order to steal the blinds and then leaves after that one hand.

My arguments for why it's not wrong:

-There's plenty of cash online to be won, If you lose a pot to me and then I leave you should just win it back off someone else. Infact playing the game so as to get your revenge on me is pretty irrational and a bad strategy.

-It's not like I instantly withdraw your cash into my account. My money will go back onto a table at some other point in the day, week or month.

-I didn't agree to sit there for any certain amount of time. I might agree to do so though in a live cash game. I would consider it wrong to say I'll play all night, double up on the first hand and declare I'm leaving. It would be more excusable to say I'll leave in an hour instead- that's plenty of time.

-I get bored very quickly. I only join these tables because I fancy playing a few hands of poker and after about 10 minutes I'm pretty bored. I don't need to study betting patterns and observe other players' strategies to make a profit on these tables: I can do it through basic common sense.

-There's nothing in the rules to stop you from doing it so most of you should consider it "right" based on that alone.

**trustme** · 26th November 2006, 08:01 PM

Dont think it really matters.

Would prefer sites to have tables where you can only sit down with the max buy in.

**Thor2007** · 26th November 2006, 08:06 PM

Your points are all valid, but this is only in your interpretation and experiences. Most people who buy in (usually for the min buy in) are simply looking to double it and leave, usually because they know that if they play for any length of time then they will lose because they will be outplayed by better and more experienced players.

Hence, I declare it wrong. It's the only way that poor players can make a profit without running lucky time and time again.

Don't get me wrong, I have done this on many occassions, but its not because I feared that if I bought in for the max amount that I'd lose it. It was simply because I fancied a few hands on a table that was way above my bankroll.

Example - 2/4 Euro table NLHE. Bankroll was probably about $2500 at this point.

I buy in for the min buy in, which I think was 60 or 80 Euros. First hand I pick up pocket queens in the BB. There's a fairly sizeable raise before me and one caller and its me to act. I decide this is my best chance to win a largish pot and leave. I push and get called by a player called Spliteur who I play with regularly. He turns over AJ or some crap and I am now on about 130 euro. I fold my SB hand and then when I'm on the button I get dealt AQs. Again there's a raise (by spliteur, aggressive player) and a caller. I reraise and get 2 callers to the flop.

Flop - A-T-x

Spliteur bets almost pot and I decide I have the best hand and push all in. Spliteur calls and other player calls. At this point I think I am beat. Turn and river are blanks.

Spliteur turns over AJ once more and other player has pocket 8's or some shite.

Anyway, in the space of 3 hands, 60/80 euro went to well over 300 euro and I was off the table faster than shite off a shovel.

**PokerWoody** · 26th November 2006, 08:26 PM

meh, you can play for as long or as little as you like but hitting and running is 'wrong' IMO. What you describe isn't hitting and running tho.

I'd question why you want to do it though. Sounds like someone's afraid to play a little poker!! Good players want to have as much money on the table as possible to maximise thier wins - bad players want to have as little on the table as possible to limit thier losses. Word.

**alexross1977** · 26th November 2006, 08:35 PM

good old split. top of the fishlist

**Matty H** · 26th November 2006, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by PokerWoody

Word.

lol

Each to their own is my opinion. Can't understand why people do it though. As Woody alludes, it's the play of someone who can't hack the game in its entirity

**Dice Man** · 26th November 2006, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by PokerWoody

I'd question why you want to do it though. Sounds like someone's afraid to play a little poker!! Good players want to have as much money on the table as possible to maximise thier wins - bad players want to have as little on the table as possible to limit thier losses. Word.

I'm not afraid. I'm just bored, and to be honest I don't like the actual game and strategy of cash games. They have no proper start or end, and in my opinion those two things are essential for even the definition of "game". Actually that's very controversial but I don't like "games" that don't have time constraints of some form. If when you sat at a table you had to choose a minimum time to play them for, I would probably be prepared to play for an hour, like I play STTs that last an hour. But when I'm given no time constraint and I'm in profit I don't see much point in sticking around and potentially losing it.

**jjh** · 26th November 2006, 09:02 PM

There's nothing wrong with it as such, the aim of poker is to win money so if you win more playing for a shorter period of time and cashing out once you win a sizeable pot, then fair enough IMO.

It's annoying to see a player come in, win a big pot straight away and run, but it's only annoying because they've taken money off the table you could have won

Or indeed, they might have beaten you directly.

**POB666** · 26th November 2006, 10:06 PM

I dont usually hit and run, but sometimes (alright quite often) i do go south, i buy in often with the max u can, then if i double it or nearly double it i'll exit the table then quickly sit back down with my original buy in. It's not exactly 'sportsman' like but so what I like cash. Its a dog eat dog world

**PokerWoody** · 27th November 2006, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by POB666

I dont usually hit and run, but sometimes (alright quite often) i do go south, i buy in often with the max u can, then if i double it or nearly double it i'll exit the table then quickly sit back down with my original buy in. It's not exactly 'sportsman' like but so what I like cash. Its a dog eat dog world

One of the reasons I like crypto is that they don't let this sort of skull duggery occur!