Knowing when to stop betting is as important as knowing when to bet. Most bettors don't have a plan for when things go wrong. They keep betting through losing streaks, hoping things turn around. By the time they stop, the bankroll is gone.
Professional bettors set stop-loss limits before the session starts. If they hit that limit, they walk away. No exceptions. This protects them from tilt, chasing, and the emotional decisions that destroy bankrolls.
Set a maximum amount you're willing to lose in a single day. If you hit that number, you're done betting for the day regardless of how many games are left.
For most bettors, a reasonable daily loss limit is 5-10% of total bankroll. If your bankroll is $5,000, losing $250-$500 in one day should trigger a full stop.
This prevents catastrophic days where you lose 30% of your roll chasing bad beats and revenge bets.
Some bettors prefer weekly limits instead of daily limits. This gives you more flexibility to work through variance without shutting down after one bad day.
A reasonable weekly loss limit is 10-15% of bankroll. If you're down that much by Thursday, you stop betting until next week.
Sometimes the stop-loss isn't about dollars. It's about your mental state. If you find yourself betting out of frustration, anger, or desperation to get even, it's time to stop.
Professional bettors know when they're tilting. They recognize the emotional warning signs and walk away before they do damage. Recreational bettors keep betting and wonder why they always seem to lose more during losing streaks than they win during winning streaks.
Stop-losses are for protecting against emotional decisions and catastrophic losing streaks. They're not for abandoning your process after normal variance.
If you lose 3 out of 5 bets and you're down 6% on the week, that's not a reason to stop if those were solid bets at good numbers. Stop-losses kick in when you've lost an unusually large amount or when you're making emotionally-driven bets.