Dealing With Bad Beats

[beset7]

What do you guys do to shake off a series of bad beats? I usually take a walk. It'd be awhile since one had really gotten to me until tonight. In fact, I knew it was time to move up limits when I had a few bad beats and didn't even really notice (that and my BR, of course).

But tonight was gory. It took everything I had not to be an ass at the table. At least I was able to quietly collect myself and leave the cardroom when I realized I had lost it. I won't go into the details but the probability of having what I underwent tonight occur is incredibly low. Plus, to further lower the odds, it was a 4/8 kill game and all four of the suckouts happened on kills pots (playing 8/16 at that point). Very expensive for me.

Anyways. I'm not concerned about the losses themselves, i understand how low limit swings work. I'm just interested in how you guys who aren't quite as seasoned (like me) deal with a series of bad beats. I didn't handle it very well tonight.

[SheridanCat]

I may be more experienced, but I'll answer anyway.

I know it gets ridiculed occasionally, but I found Larry Phillips' "The Tao Of Poker..." actually helped me deal with bad beats, thus avoiding tilt when I first started. Now, I very rarely tilt, and when I do I recognize it right away and take a walk or cash out.

I actually felt myself tilting a bit this past weekend. It wasn't due to a bad beat - all I had was top pair with a bad kicker headsup on a 3-flush board. The thing that got me was that the player who made the flush slow rolled it.

I felt it right away. My chest tightened, my vision tunneled, I was focused on the slow-roller. I wanted to punish that particular player, but I knew that if I tried, I wouldn't be playing my best. So, I got up, walked to the back of the casino to the snack bar and ate a big bowl of ice cream. When I came back, I played my best. That guy never got punished, but that was okay because I was playing well.

It's okay to get mad as long as you recognize it and don't let it lead to tilt.

Regards,

T

[AncientPC]

I punch the wall next to my computer, so for the next few minutes I'm thinking about 2 things:

1) How much my hand hurts.

2) I'm an idiot for punching the wall.

By the time it stops hurting, I've forgotton about the bad beat. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[AKQJ10]

Remind me not to be there when you decide to take a stab at brick-and-mortar. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[beset7]

I may need to check out that Tao of Poker. I read it a couple years ago but I don't remember it very well.

Yeah, I know I've progressed when it takes three or four brutal suck outs to send me over but I'm just not quite as balanced as I think I need to be.

The food thing is not a bad idea actually. I always remember to eat when I'm winning and I forget about food if I get down 20xBB or so.

Thanks for the ideas.

[sublime]

i smile. and realize without bad beats there would be no profit.

really, just smile. you will instanlty feel better.

[1C5]

Funny thing, I have just started playing with play money and 2 months ago I would get really mad at a bad beat with play money!!!! hahahaha
Now it has gotten to the point where I just smile and move on.

[Kellon]

I just finished Larry Phillips' "Zen and the Art of Poker" and thought he had some very good things to say on this, and many other, aspect(s) of poker. "Zen" was published in 1999. I'm going to have to get the "Tao" book, which is more recent.

"Zen" was a bit panned by Mason, if I recall correctly, because it considers luck to be an important part of poker, but I believe there are lots of good things to think about regarding the mental and emotional approach discussed in the book.

Or, you could just breath deeply and repeat, "The sun is warm; the grass is green." /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[jmgambler]

Firstly, If its a genuine bad beat, meaning the player is doing everything right:

e.g He has KQ /images/graemlins/heart.gif and I play my 66 and the flop comes:

J /images/graemlins/heart.gif10 /images/graemlins/club.gif6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Turn is 2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

and he catches his str8 on river?

Then I am cool.

Now, if its 64o in a raised pot and he beats my AA by catching 2 pr one on the river?

It is very hard but I repeat the mantra "In the long run, In the long run.............." and actually deliberately force myself to not go on tilt /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Allow me to tell you this:

I was playing $2/$4 I had been dealt 72o, 2 times back to back then after 1 hand I was dealt 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif AGAIN (what are the chances?), I was in late position and raised to $4 in an attempt to steal the blinds
I groaned when the BB called. I kid u not here comes the cards:

Flop: 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif7 /images/graemlins/club.gif2 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

turn 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

River 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

(player against me had JJ)

Now I tell you all of this because I have often wondered when getting really badbeats "Why the F**K would you play that hand???"....... the above hand may offer some insight

Regards David

[AncientPC]

It's more of the runner runner gutshot draws / backdoor flushes when they have undercards on the flop in a huge pot that piss me off.

[SheridanCat]

Oh, crap, my bad. It was "Zen and the Art Of Poker" I liked. "The Tao Of Poker" was just a rehash of the other. Sorry, go with the Zen.

Sorry,

T

[EliteNinja]

Play a few thousand hands and you won't even care about bad beats anymore. They're just a part of the game. Remember that if you put people into a position to put a bad beat on you, you are winning in the long run.

What you should recognize is mistakes in your play and how you can change them. That should be your main focus.