The “Walk Away While Ahead” Illusion

[Futurexxx]

Walking away that particular moment is not quitting of your gambling activities,  so we are expected to always comes back after walking away with a series of winnings.
In addition to that, we should know that not everyone is a fan of walking away when they are on a winning streak because they feels like it's the perfect opportunity to win big, so is that a bad practice?
No in my own opinion because you have to be greedy if you want to win big, not by running away with any small winnings you were able to make that moment, because you have to be greedy and willing to take risk if you wishes to win big, but as long as you are doing it with what you can afford to lose, then it's a risk worth taking.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

People say “once you hit profit, just walk away.” But isn’t that just us trying to fool ourselves a bit?

I'm sure this quote isn't an encouragement to stop gambling at all, but rather to enjoy the wins which you might not get in every gambling session. This is a tactic to combat compulsive behavior, preventing wins from slowly turning into losses before you can enjoy them for something else.
Not bad advice when viewed from the right perspective.

That’s the thing: the alternative to walking away with your winnings is to keep gambling and end up losing what you’ve won—and more. So it’s much better to walk away. And as for coming back another day, I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I treat gambling as money spent on leisure. Let’s say I deposit $50, get lucky and win $400. Well, I leave, spend it on other things and come back another day when I’ve got $50 to spare, which, if I lose it, is no big deal (although in reality what I usually do is withdraw $350 and leave the $50 there for when I feel like coming back).

[Gozie51]

So maybe the real question is not “can I walk away today?” but “can I walk away forever after I win?”

Because if not, then maybe we’re just delaying the loss, not avoiding it.

You are right @Russlenat. The issue with walking away even when you are winning that you should maximize the profit opportunity is FEAR. The fear factor will not be excluded from the decisions taking while gambling. The next outcome is not determined by the player and because you don't want to lose what you already won, you want to walk away. So this has gradually been built in gamblers mind and made as a slogan unfortunately. So, gamblers have lost more times than they have won and any little winning, they want to run away. But running away to come back next time is just saving the bad day.

[KTChampions]

~
So maybe the real question is not “can I walk away today?” but “can I walk away forever after I win?”

Because if not, then maybe we’re just delaying the loss, not avoiding it.

Absolutely right and the answer to the question is "Yes" only if you hit the jackpot or won a sum that changes your life. Then it's definitely worth stopping gambling (since you've already gotten what you wanted and expecting a repeat is, to put it mildly, naive) and take advantage of what luck has given you rather than risk losing and finding yourself back in the same boat. I think this strategy is applicable only in these rare cases. If we spend a small amount on gambling for entertainment, then this strategy is pointless.

[acroman08]

I don't really see anything wrong with people saying "walk away while you're ahead", even if they are planning on gambling again. I mean, walking away while you're ahead is a great mindset to have, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they will quit gambling, it could be that they are just stopping their current gambling session since they are ahead and wouldn't want to risk losing all their winnings and funds in that session. Also, walking away while you are still ahead is better than walking away only if your funds have run out.

[viljy]

In order to stop returning to gambling forever, you need to win a huge jackpot. People return to the casino after the usual winnings, which do not change their normal lives in any way. And it's quite another thing when a person wins a huge sum, not necessarily in a casino, but let's say in a lottery.

It's just that such cases are extremely rare. It is not necessary for a person to properly dispose of the money they have won, but they can do it. But, most gamblers actually lose in the long run. Why then do they keep gambling knowing about it? Because the whole point is that there is always a chance to be in the minority, among the lucky ones. Every gambler hopes for this.

[iv4n]

People say “once you hit profit, just walk away.” But isn’t that just us trying to fool ourselves a bit?

Sure, there are times we hit profit and stop for that day. But are we really not coming back anymore? Of course we come back. And once we come back, there’s no guarantee we win again. That’s where the whole idea starts to fall apart. If in the long run the house edge or reality catches up, then this “walk away when ahead” strategy doesn’t really make us profitable overall. It only works if we win, take the profit, and quit gambling for good.

What's the idea in the first place? Is it to gamble and somehow win all the time, and walk away after every win, or we shouldn't gamble at all because we will most likely lose?

"People" say all sorts of things... but why do you gamble? Do you have some expectations?

So maybe the real question is not “can I walk away today?” but “can I walk away forever after I win?”

After winning $1, is there a point in walking away? 

The “Walk Away While Ahead” Illusion

It's not an illusion, it's damage control, it's bankroll management... if you are up and you walk away, you will have money for tomorrow.

[Livingleged]

Yes first thing that will come to you mind after winning a reasonable amount is to make a withdrawal and that’s perfect. I do that always buy not like walking away and quitting gambling. Infact I’ve observed that when ever I win reasonable amount it give me the confidence for make right predictions with my emotions being attached any it has always pay me.
The moment I win huge money I just make a withdrawal of 80% and spend my money on things i really wanted to have gotten. And using the remaining 20% to funds my new stakes. That way you will not panic about losses and in gambling walking away is simply denying you’re self another chance of winning next time because you can’t win when you don’t stake.

[Junii]

People say “once you hit profit, just walk away.” But isn’t that just us trying to fool ourselves a bit?

I think there is a lot of truth in what u are saying. Walking away in a profit for a day is mathematically good but many gamblers came back the very next day and when they did like that they puts yesterday's profits are back at risk again. If we think deeply gambling is not a one session it is a whole outcome over time the mistake many peoples makes here is treating a wining day like a final result if  someone is doing gamble daily and in the long run the house has an edge then left after one win doesnt makes sense leaving while ahead is better then chasing losses or giving back the profit in the same session. So i agree that the bigger question is not about Can I walk away today?  but Can I stay away long enough to keep that profit? That's where most people struggles the most.

[blomen]

People say “once you hit profit, just walk away.” But isn’t that just us trying to fool ourselves a bit?

Sure, there are times we hit profit and stop for that day. But are we really not coming back anymore? Of course we come back.

i understand the point you’re trying to make. you’re thinking, “if we’re going to come back later, what’s the point of cashing out now while we’re ahead?” but gambling is not like an investment where you have a portfolio and look at your total gains and losses at the end of the year. the main goal is to increase the money you have in your pocket that day a little more, and each day of gambling is actually independent of the others.

when you close out a day in profit, instead of continuing to gamble, you can actually buy something with all your money or just the profit. then, the next day, you play with the profit already converted into something, or in another term you play with less money. if you think, “i’ll come back tomorrow,” and don’t take any of your profit, then if you lose the next day, the money from the previous day will be gone too.

[DPHOR]

There are people who has targets on everything they are doing, if their target are met you wouldn't see them going back to do that same thing again. So are some people who are gambling, you see them gambling at all time but just having a target to hit what they wanted and immediately they have it you wouldn't see them doing that again. That is why some people do walk away when they hit a Good profits from gambling site, but those who doesn't have any targets you wouldn't see them running away and they would end up spending all their winning from the gambling site.

[michellee]

If that happens, you can walk away but if not?

People will not really stop if they hit profit but they will return the next day. They think that they can repeat the same and will win more than yesterday. But that attracts us to getting lost as this time, we want to win more so we might use more money and could lose control.

We remember the house edge but don't think much so the walk away while ahead could be an illusion to those who can't understand when they have to quit gambling.

[Sanitough]

We remember the house edge but don't think much so the walk away while ahead could be an illusion to those who can't understand when they have to quit gambling.

If we talk about house edge, that is a different thing because we will never really win in the long run.

I see some people winning jackpots in casino games and slots, like x1000 or more of their wager, so if they stop right there, they can say they are profitable. But in reality, most of them will not stop because the urge to gamble after winning will remain, and that means the casino still wins in the end.

The topic is good, but it is not only about walking away while you are ahead. It is also about learning to walk away when you lose and not depositing again.

[stadus]

The topic is good, but it is not only about walking away while you are ahead. It is also about learning to walk away when you lose and not depositing again.

This is what we should not forget as well, and honestly, I can relate to this. It is easy to stop when winning because we can stop happy, but when we are losing, that is the challenging part because we don’t want to end with a loss and we always want to come back.

But over time, I have learned how to become more mature in betting. What I follow now is really bankroll management. You know how much your limit is, and you should stick with that no matter what happens. Even if you are so confident, you still need to follow your limit because the moment emotion sinks in, it can mess up everything we worked for.

[Bluedrem]

If gamblers make a profit in the beginning by playing Rajua, can gamblers really stop gambling? I don't think so, if gamblers make a profit in the beginning, they get motivated to gamble more. That is, in his mind, this desire is born that he can get rich by gambling. And this is the most dangerous thing, when greed is born in the mind of gamblers or there is an attempt to recover the lost money, then the possibility of loss will arise. Because it is not possible to guarantee profit by gambling.

[Sanitough]

But over time, I have learned how to become more mature in betting. What I follow now is really bankroll management. You know how much your limit is, and you should stick with that no matter what happens. Even if you are so confident, you still need to follow your limit because the moment emotion sinks in, it can mess up everything we worked for.

Good for you that you have really learned. Some gamblers still have not learned despite gambling for many years. We cannot fully blame them because gambling is really addictive, and if we do not have strong control, we can easily suffer in that kind of situation. But sharing here is also like caring because those who are struggling can read real users’ experiences, at least most of them are real, and maybe they can learn something from it.

[Oshio-man]

Even though you walk away after winning huge amount of funds from gambling, you will definitely going to come back when you have use the funds for some important things in your environment because you will still like to try the same method that gave you such opportunity to win the amount of funds and you will realize that gambling is different from investment, I know you can take a break from gambling but make sure you learn more strategies that will make you not to regret when coming back from break than to gain more knowledge on how to keep your winning steady because nothing like you are winning little or losing huge, and it will make you to spend many time in gambling without fear.

[Russlenat]

Even though you walk away after winning huge amount of funds from gambling, you will definitely going to come back when you have use the funds ,.

True, that is why it is just an illusion. But it is not only about winning a huge amount before you walk out, you should learn to walk out as long as you are already winning.

You should also know how much you only need to win, so you know when to stop. I’m trying to convince myself that it is a good strategy, but I always get caught up with the reality that when I come back, it becomes my turn to give the money back. It is give and take as they say, but since we do not have the edge, we still lose in the end.

[TheUltraElite]

Actually when someone wins big, they are still not in profit, they might have just broken even or close to that.
Another thing is that one big win instills a good amount of confidence into the gambler who had almost lost everything.

These two reasons force the gambler to play again and that is the biggest folly that the casino wants you to commit. As soon as you start playing again, you are back into the vicious cycle and are guaranteed to lose that win that you managed to win.

Nobody is going to win big frequently and earlier one realizes this the better.

[Pandu Geddon]

Because if not, then maybe we’re just delaying the loss, not avoiding it.

What I think is, at least when we stop while winning, we can enjoy that victory. Not keep playing until what we have won eventually disappears before we get to enjoy it. 
If we keep counting our wins and losses, maybe we will become emotional seeing the numbers. We would really be gambling to chase the win.