Dealing with bad beats

Bloggers / Matthew Pitt / 12 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

The term "bad beat" in poker is reserved for when a player loses a hand, despite being a huge mathematical favourite or when a very strong hand loses out to an even stronger one.

Every poker player worth his or her salt will have suffered what they consider to be a bad beat at the tables. For those of us who play multiple tables online, it sometimes seems as if we are involved in at least one bad beat an hour due to the number of hands played. So if everyone suffers from them, what is the best way to deal with them?

Suffering a bad beat at the tables can be a profound psychological blow, which can often lead a player to go on tilt. Whilst "tilting", a player cannot and will not play to the best of their ability, so the possibility of losing more money or chips in their game increases.

Some players react to a bad beat by venting their anger and frustration out in a verbal manner at the player who beat them. Phil Hellmuth is the prime example of this type of player. Hellmuth is one of the best No-limit Hold'em tournament players in the world, yet he is almost as famous for his tirades as his is for his poker ability.

Another way to get over the bead beat, is to go and play stakes that are much lower than you usually play and play in style that would put a maniac to shame. By raising, re-raising and shoving all-in with a wide variety of hands, you can not only blow off steam but also dish out some bad beats of your own. Doing this at micro stakes allows you to cool off and only lose maybe $10, where playing on tilt at your usual stakes could be very costly indeed.

The way I deal with bad beats is similar to "The Mad Genius" Mike Caro, poker player, theorist and author. Basically, if you are suffering a series of bad beats then it goes to show you are playing good poker. Whilst that seems absurd, think of it this way. If you are losing to bad beats, it means you are getting your money in good, only for your opponent to outdraw you. In poker, if you repeatedly commit your money as a favourite, you will win in the long run so the bad beats are an unwelcome necessity to becoming a profitable player.

The next time you are on the receiving end of a bad beat, have a little smile to yourself because in the long run, you will come out in front.

Related Readings

Bad Beats - Hellmuth dishing them out - WSOPE
Bad Beats - Doyle Brunson - WSOPE
Some Annette bad beats - Annette_15
Surviving to the antes - Marcus Bateman
Limping big pairs - Marcus Bateman
Pud's Poker Progress - Matthew Pitt (Blog)