Fight Bad Beats and Tilt in Poker

If you are a good hold'em player you will see more bad beats than a mediocre player. The reason for this is that you are only playing premium starting hands. This means that when you are beat, someone has to make a hand that they shouldn't have drawn to.

What is a bad beat? A bad beat is a loss to a hand that the odds say shouldn't have been drawn to. An example of this would be a player drawing to a hand that only has two outs and the pot odds don't justify the draw (see post about odds). If a player makes a hand that the odds say he should have been drawing to then this is not a bad beat.

The first question to ask is. Was this really a bad beat? If not just take it in stride and move to the next hand. But try to learn from the experience by watching the odds that the pot is offering a player to call a bet.

If it is truly a bad beat. Then you have to look out for tilt. Don't get angry because of it or berate the other player. Just remember that this bad draw, or something like it, will happen again and the player will probably make the same mistake again. If you let your emotions take over, your game will suffer and so will your bankroll.

What is tilt? When you go on tilt you play without rational thought. Your emotions take over and you start to play to get even or to teach another player a lesson. You could be angry, desperate, afraid, or have many other feelings. When you find yourself getting like this you have to do something.

One of the hardest things to do is recognise when you are on tilt. If you find yourself playing hands that you know you shouldn't have played, you are on tilt. If that happens take a break. Walk around the room or get a cup of coffee at the snack bar. If that doesn't work leave the game, there will be another one later on.

If you're in a tournament you can't leave the game but you can sure take a break. It will cost you a blind or two but you won't lose your whole stack.

In short don't let bad beats get the best of u and fight going or staying on tilt.

Good Luck

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