The Psychology Of Poker- How can i deal with bad beats??

This happens to all players i know. Bad beats are are huge part of the game, but just recently they have really been hitting me hard. It is becoming hard to take!

What i currently do wheneva i move all in, is immediately but the decision to the back of my mind and make an instant assessment of my play. For example, if i am dealt KK and end up all in with A9, instantly i am delighted with this, and i just accept whateva the cards bring. An A, running 9s, a straight, it really doesnt bother me anymore as my goal is to get all my money in when i am a fave.

Yet lately i have been on an awful awful run. And my bankroll has taken some big big hits, losing many a time when im a huge fave. Just before this post i was again a 73% on the flop, then 80% on the turn before yet another cruel river cost me a buy in.

I know that as long as i continue to get in with the best of it i will walk away a winner in the end, but for now i could really do with some advice on how to not let this affect my game.

Thanks guys.

Sounds to me like you already have the right attitude. Think also of the bad beats that you have put on others and usually they end up balancing out over time.

When players suck out on me I take a deep breath, make notes and then make sure I remember that player - if they are willing to put chips in when they are at the wrong odds to call I want to be at the table against them more often.

Don't take it personally whenever something "bad" happens. It's not happening to you any more often than it's supposed to.

Remember that like from the Godfather, "This is the business we've chosen". Being conscious of the fact that you're putting yourself in these situations on purpose helps to take the sting out of it when things don't go your way.

Most importantly: Being happy when you are dealt good hands or win big pots is just as bad as being unhappy when your good hands don't hold up or you lose a big pot. The less you do of one, the easier it becomes to do less of the other.

I love that quote.

Bad beats suck but they come with the territory ya know. I can handle a suckout here and there and usually just laugh it off knowing I made the correct play and I'll get it back at some point. If they're happening too frequently, yes it could just be bad luck but for me, I go hunting for leaks.

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Originally Posted by LexyBack

Just before this post i was again a 73% on the flop, then 80% on the turn

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the bold section is irrelevant. The odds for when the money went all in are all that matters. And 27-73 means you will lose close to 3/10 of these. That's why people recommend playing with deep bankroll management, cos the short-term swings can be easily absorbed.

A story that may help? I was running 8 buyins behind EV during September, yet long term (over a year of play) i was within 2buyins of neutral EV.

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Originally Posted by LexyBack

I know that as long as i continue to get in with the best of it i will walk away a winner in the end, but for now i could really do with some advice on how to not let this affect my game.

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The major risk you face is that you tilt after a badbeat and compound the beat with losses due to bad play. Be careful. Otherwise, dunno. I play off a br that is deeper than most, this is one approach that works.

If your new to poker and haven't read it, "The Psychology of Poker" is a pretty good book. It explains a lot of things we talk about on FTR with great examples and a few exercises to explain variance that help you understand what happens when we get bad beat. It also shows you how to avoid the associations with tilt over the variance and losing.

If you haven't already read it, you might find this worthwhile: http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...elf-t8435.html

Also I see you said you've been on a bad run for a while, don't make the mistake of getting bogged down in the time of your bad run, it's a fallacy to think that every hand isn't independent of the previous hand, (aka gamblers fallacy).

I'm still learning propper control myself at the table but if I had to pick one thing that's made the most difference to my game it would be the suggestion that spoon made. Do you find yourself elated when you win a huge pot? Or suck out against the odds? I used to, but all you're really doing when you do this is hiking your rollercoaster to the top of the track in preparation of the beat when you can fling yourself down the track at 100mph - by staying passive emotionally at the table you're enforcing the fact that the results are secondary to the process and your descisions, this has helped my game no end.

playing really over-rolled helps

I have nothing to add, just wanna say thank you to everyone reminding me of what an emo I am.

Having a big enough roll is a huge help. I am running around 100 buyins for the level I am at. Its overkill, but I can lose buy-ins without batting an eye when I am getting my chips in the middle in the proper situations.

I always check the odds after any large showdown, bad or good and keep track of my big plays on a tally. If I made the right play, either win or lose, then I add it to my tally. At the same time, if I get lucky, I put a mark on the other side.

Its good positive reinforcement either win or lose, and helps to keep my head from getting to big if I have laid some beats myself.