Poker Dynamic

In a perfect poker world, no one would lost big hands on the river and those who foolishly make bad calls would always lose hands they deserve to. In reality, however, many have experienced bad beats in which an unlucky turn or river has defeated a previously superior hand. In many cases, these hands can drive the losing player to anger and irrationality…two factors that negatively affect a poker game.

The good news is that avoiding tilt from bad beats is not impossible. Plenty of professionals do it every day. You always have to remember that just about anyone who plays poker for a good amount of time will be in the same situation you were in at some point. You didn’t lose because of a lack of skill, but because of a lack of luck. If you still have chips to play with, don’t give those away for free too.

Take some time to breath and think. Don’t be eager to jump right into the next hand to make up your losses. Many players often find themselves in trouble fast because of a tendency to play bad hands once a bad beat has been finished. Stick to your gameplan and have a bad memory.

If you can’t do that, get up and take a walk. Casino games, outside of tournaments, do not require players to stay at the table forever. If you cannot concentrate properly because of a bad beat, just get up and switch games or get a drink. You may not feel so angry after thirty minutes.

Above all else, remember that you are playing a game against people who feed off of bad trips like this. The table may feel sorry for your loss, but they certainly will not hesitate to take all of your remaining money if they feel you are playing to get revenge. Take some time to think and only play a hand again when it fits your playing style. Don’t overreact to something that has happened to everyone else at the table.

Filed under: Strategies