Poker Dynamic

One thing that poker players seem to love doing in their free time, that is when not playing poker, is sharing bad beat stories. They’re like war stories for professional poker players. Everyone has them and everyone thinks that their bad beats are the worst. The truth is that with the amount of luck involved in the game, it is hard for any player to avoid getting a bad beat for very long unless he or she is extremely lucky themselves.

But what constitutes a worse beat? What makes one bad hand worse than another? Is there a way to tell. While there is no clear way to define how bad something is in a person’s head when it happens, it is possible to figure out what the worst bad beat is based on a number of factors.

1. The stakes - How much are you playing for? If you are playing for pennies with some friends at home, you have no right in thinking your bad beat is worse than someone who lost thousands or more because of a bad turn or river. The amount you lose on a bad beat does factor in and does matter.

2. The hand - What hand did you lose with? Did you lose with pocket aces or with two-seven? If you have a bad hand from the beginning, get lucky on the flop, and then lose to a bad beat…you just ran into karma, not a bad beat. If you have the pre-flop favorite, however, and lose after flopping well…you have a legit beef.

3. The odds - What were the odds of you losing the hand before the deciding card was turned? Many people find themselves on the losing side of a hand despite having a ninety-five percent chance of winning. That certainly is a worse beat than someone who had a 2/3 chance of taking the pot.

Put all these factors together and you can decide who really had the worst hands. Just remember, poker IS a game of luck and bad beats are part of the game. Don’t let it affect your play.

Filed under: Beginners