Handling Losses When You Played Perfectly (almost perfectly?)

[MaxPower]

To paraphrase Santino Corleone, this is business and you are taking it way too personally.

Don't worry about winning you money back from that particular guy. When he gets up, someone else will sit down whose money is just as good.

But remember, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

[BigEndian]

Sometimes I'll get up from the table and take a bathroom break. Generally it doesn't bother me as I get in a rythym at the table and losses/wins just happen - especially at a live table because I really enjoy the experience of sitting across from the people you're outplaying.

The only time I got bent out of shape recently was in a home game that the hands/hr was sooooooo slow. My own sister, who is learning the game at my prodding, cracked my TP/TK by spiking her set of sixes on the river. My irritation was mainly because I wanted to have the biggest stack at the end of the night with family and friends - the stakes we were playing at were trivial.

- Jim

[cjx]

I used to feel like you, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. I often route for the bad players to suck out on the good ones so that it'll be easier for me to get at that money. Also, when some people get sucked out on they go on tilt so instead of having one bad player and one good I have two bad players ... so, check yourself. Remember this IS GAMBLING and you (like a casino) are in it for the long haul.

I was playing this weekend at Foxwoods and this guy was up almost 2k at the 5-10 table. He was the ultimate calling station. When he wasn't getting lucky catching a river two pair or flush, he was getting lucky calling down people's middle pair or semi bluff. I looked at his stack and then looked at my ~100 dollar loss and thought about how sure I was that this terrible player would be back to give his two or so racks back eventually, probably not to me, but there are a million players like him who all win once in awhile and then donate for a life time.

cjx

[Webster]

I'll tell ya - I still get pretty pissed and I'm a good winning player and make way more then I really think I should. (Trips to Hawaii does not hurt the bank at all and thats playing 2/4).

I have an anger problem and I just step away for a few hands and TRY to not let it get personal.

All the BS about liking it because he is a bad player is FINE when it's the other guy getting the shaft. I lost $75 (2/4) on a 73s and 74o back to back against the same guy today and I tell ya - I was pissed. (I had AKs and AQs)

I know that IN THE LONG RUN it's just the way it is. But when you are having a bad run of cards - YIPES - it hurts!

I truely believe that most people get upset and it's normal. What you MUST do is get upset and then - let it go. Take a break, take deep breaths, clear your mind. - It's the past!

[slavic]

I like to use one of Bernie's lines in this situation. "Well he paid full price to get there." If I have played perfect, or better yet if I have played well and charged the right price, made the right bets and raises and I'm beat then what more can I do? Not a thing, the cards are what they are. This hand is over move on to the next and forget it.

The most dangerous thing you can do is start counting money before they push you the pot, you do not deserve it until the final showdown. To build an emotional attachment to it is just foolish.

[gunboat]

Whenever an opponent mucks to my value bet on the river (or calls and mucks), I say to myself

"another 5 outer (or 3 outer or 1 outer) that didn't get there!"

[bernie]

i doubt if i could take credit for that phrase.

but it seems i've been saying that line alot over the last month. havin' a great run, i am. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

actually, once you get just about every hand cracked possible, multiple times, you develop that 'bad beat skin'.

but it still sucks.

b

[Dylan Wade]

Playing positive EV poker is what makes you money. Winning pots is not important. When you truely realize this, you won't care about suckouts anymore--at all.

[ QUOTE ]

"Dude, you are not going to play this situation a thousand times!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually you will. If you play multiple tables, you will get in similar situations hundreds of times a week.

If you don't play multiple tables already, I suggest you try it for awhile. The nice thing about it is that you will play through your hands so much faster. This way you can see the statistical swings fly by in real time. Get a big bankroll, play a small limit and play 4 tables at once for 8 hours. Bet your good hands for value every time! You'll see why playing the correct way each time is far more important than the results of one hand.

Also, don't forget the alternative. I imagine you were betting a strong hand agressively, only to be shown a monster hand. The only alternative to this play is to play your strong hands weakly. You and I both know that your strong hands will almost always hold up, even with all the "fish's luck". If your very strong hands are almost always going to hold up, don't you want to make sure you always have a lot of money in the pot? You'll usually win the pot. Do you want it big or small? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Dylan Wade]

Yeah. Lol, that's when I go on tilt too.

My friends/family were sort of expecting me to do well in this friendly NL tourney we had going on, but I got beaten by my little sister (12 years old). I'm still pissed off about it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[JKratzer]

The method that makes me keep my cool the best is to ask yourself the following:

If my opponent had turned his cards face up, and gave ME control of his chips, what would I have done? (in my own self-interest, not his) Usually it turns out, I would have put his money in the pot, with his draw/underpair/etc.

How can I stay upset when the fish did his best to give me money, but just got unlucky??

Works for me at least....