How to Deal with Bad Beats in Poker?

Poker is a game in which a player needs a balance of skills, strategy, and chance to win. Many people enjoy this game and grow with it. Keeping the current situation in mind, online poker provides you with an amazing opportunity to have fun sitting at the place of your comfort. But it has been observed that people get majorly affected by bad beats.

A bad beat is the term used when a person with a good hand ends up losing to one who is unlikely to win but hits the pot by hitting some fortune cards. Irrespective of experience and skills, this kind of situation may occur with anyone.

It might be possible that you come across a bad beat and end up getting scared of the game. It also happens that after a bad beat a player starts doubting his ability to read hand or take decisions. It develops a lot of negativity in him and also affects his confidence level. A player may end up losing his aggression in the game. It sometimes affects a player’s personal life too. He starts feeling miserable and worthless.

The majority of the people after a bad-beat find it difficult to recover from. It happens because of an utterly disturbed mind that does not allow a player to focus on the game anymore. It also sometimes affects a player’s physical health.

A bad beat is not something that you can escape from. Even poker players with great skills also face this situation. It may happen anytime. If a person enjoys poker, it is advisable to always be prepared for a bad beat. A person must never blame himself for his loss because apart from skills and strategy it’s also a matter of chance.

In such a case a break from the game is highly recommended. One must try to focus on other things like taking a walk at the nearby garden or meditate for a while if he feels disturbed after a bad-beat. A person facing it needs to accept it and work on his game more so that he will not commit the same mistakes again. To succeed in life, you need to first accept your failures. As said by Grantland Rice, “It’s not whether you won or lost, but how bad beat stories you were able to tell”. So, learn from your mistakes because “Failure is a way ahead to success.”

A player must understand the equity of their hand to escape bad-beats as it all depends on the equity whether you win or lose a game. To calculate your equity, you need to count the number of outs you have to make a hand. This will help you to know the game better and play accordingly. The easiest way to calculate your equity is, multiply outs by four on the flop, and multiply outs by two on the turn.

Random or quick changes to your game may affect your style of playing and you may end up confused. So, it is better to be fixed on your style of gameplay.

A player must not chase a flush draw. While calling it a draw, a person must have the correct pot odds and equity. A person’s equity depends on the number of out his draw has. On the other hand, the pot odds depend on the size of the opponent’s bet.

It often happens that a player, unable to tackle the game stress end up having tilt. Tilt is the term used for a player’s emotional confusion while playing a game, which makes him choose a less optimal solution and makes him an aggressive player. It’s a common situation that occurs while playing a game like a poker that needs mental strength.

If you want to win a game, you must always take note of the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. It may help you a lot to win a tournament with him in the future. It might be possible that your opponent is just bluffing and lack confidence. Also, take notes on his tendencies and his style of gameplay.

We all have seen people in our lives who try to break our confidence through bluffing and engage us in certain topics that reduce our concentration towards the game. To avoid this player must avoid texting the opponent and focus on his own game. Pick up a conversation only when the hand is over.

If you work on these points, it will surely help you overcome bad beats and understand the game better. Try the best to improve your skills instead of thinking about the results.

As said by Edward Norton, “Life, like poker is an element of risk. It shouldn’t be avoided. It should be faced.” Every poker player must not be afraid of a bad beat and learn to accept it. Thus, face the challenge and let the rest your fate decides.