Coping with string of Bad Beats

[webmonarch]

Any coping advice for a string of bad beats? On .10/.25 Pokerstars NL tables, I have lost a total of $100 on all-ins, and everytime I had the best hand and was a better than 60% favorite going in. $100 is a lot for the .10/.25 tables, esp. since it took me a couple days to build it up.

Certainly some players here have had similar circumstances. What to do? Be happy I'm in on the best hand and hope my luck changes? Take a break? Should I just come to the realization that I have no luck and quit? Something else?

It's getting *extraordinarily* frustrating because I'm not getting my fair share of catches either. Anyway, I don't mean to whine . . . but I really want to know how others handle these types of beats. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[lostinthought]

If you are putting in your money when you have the best of it, then you have nothing to worry about besides bankroll considerations.

Make sure your play is good. Do that by looking over hand histories and posting questions here.

[Firetrap]

I recently posted a similar question after being beaten all in with a pot for $1300 with a 98.4% fav 888 v KK (one of which on flop). $1600 with KKK v AA on flop, and $1100 AK v KQ. Here was the reply i got -
[ QUOTE ]
I pull one off every time I take a bad beat like this. That way, even when I lose, I win.



[/ QUOTE ]

Haha - this changed my mood instantly, i forgot about kicking the dog again and set about reinforcing my confidence. I did this by first looking at my records to show me that i am a LONG TERM winner, i looked at the hand(s) in question from many different angles to see if i had made any mistakes or if i was just destined to lose it on that hand. If i feel i played it wrong then i will rerun that hand in my head with the correct sequence of plays over and over in an attempt to make it 2nd nature in future.

After many hours experience i now monitor my feelings when im at the table - sometimes i can take this beat, shelve it for later and focus fully on whats happening here and now.....others i can't get it out of my head and i make it must that i stop playing immediately - poker is hard enough without having to fight your emotions on each hand too.

I am currently trying to work out why i can sometimes let it bounce off me and not others, here are my thoughts on it -

1. The money involved in the hand is small relative to my bankroll....money management is key, if you are losing a hand with a large percentage of your roll involved its going to hurt bad - make sure you are playing at a level where you can take many of these in the shorter term.

2. You are more accepting of the fact that you cannot control certain events - you have no control over the cards that fall or what your opponent will do (in the most part), all we can do is repeatedly make good plays.

3. You are more accepting that it happens - sometimes i will get really paranoid and think that poker sites are fixed and he only called cos he knew he'd win, i will believe that i am not a "lucky player" and im only allowed to win so much.....im a bit [censored] up at times lol. Of course this is not the case, it is simply a perception born out of frustration.....accepting that this will happen to you again and again and again throughout your poker career will definitely keep you on a more even keel emotionally and win you money.

Well thats my take on it anyway, hope its of some use and you feel that you are definitely not alone - you could of course take it many steps forward and start visualisation, zen meditation or heroin!!!

Oh and i recommend a great book called "In pursuit of Excellence" by Terry Orlick......this will help anyone with goal setting, focusing, perspective, relaxation and interestingly enough COPING STRATEGIES!!!!

Good luck

[webmonarch]

Thanks for the advice! It's really helpful knowing how some top players handle such strings . . . I'm back for more later today.

[sourbeaver]

It is hard to stomach, especially if you have expectations prior to sitting at the table. If you're thinking "well I'm gonna make X$ an hour as usual", you're in for a depressing session a lot of times. Try to approach the game with the expectation to play each hand the best you can, regardless of the results. This is a skill that is very hard to master and maintain 100% of the time, yet an essential skill to work at. If you concentrate on making the best moves on each and every hand you play, it is invariable that the results will come in after a while. In the meantime, you're just wrestling with variance, which should be considered as routine for every poker player.

All the best,
Raph

[kongo_totte]

I fully agree with Firetrap on this one. If I continue thinking about the bad beat, which I sometimes do, I'm obviously not fully concentraded on my game, and take a break. Often I can just shake it off and continue playing.

Mostly I can handle 1-2 bad beats per session, but when that third comes I usually go take a [censored] or something for a couple of minutes. The degree of bad play from my opponent usually is a factor to. The worse he played and sucked out on me, the angrier I get.

[kurto]

Hey, Monarch. I've been sitting at your table a few nights. If it helps, I've noted that you're a good player and have adjusted my play when in a pot with you accordingly.

Regarding those tables... I have noticed that I lose more money to bad beats to bad players then I do to decent players.

I do wonder when you're making these all-in bets, if you mean preflop or post. Depending on the table, I've come to realize that All-in bets preflop aren't that great a bet. Even with the best hand preflop, its nothing more then a pair. Heads up, I know that it dominates. But at PS, you can go all in and have 5 people calling. With 5 callers, the value of top pair drops dramatically. If you have 5 callers, and a 10-J takes it with 2 pair, that's not a bad beat. If 4 people call with pairs (I saw this happen the other night), there's a good chance someone will hit their set and take it.

If you have 2 pair on the flop and there are 2 flush cards out, you know the flush draw is going to make it 1 in 3 times.

I find its so easy to get people all in when they're dominated (you have top set on a no flush/no straight draw board) that you don't need to risk all your money preflop on a coinflip.

If these aren't the kind of situations you're talking about... then nevermind. I'm babbling.

See you at the tables!

[Tilt]

Dont be results oriented.

Focus on how you played. Evaluate every session based on how many hands with significant pots you misplayed in some way. If that is all you care about - truly all you care about - the money will follow.

Either that or the site is rigged against you in some way, in which case please tell me where to find you. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[webmonarch]

Kurto, I'll have to watch out for you. ;-)

I rarely go all-in preflop. About the only time I do is when I have AA and I have a pre-flop raiser that re-raises me.

I guess my definition of a bad beat is at least the flop where I have a hand that is the best, or near the best. For example, If I have trips of the top card on the board (without a one card flush or straight draw), go all-in, and get beat, that's my definition of a bad beat. Another example would be flopping trips on what I know is a top pair. Another example is a straight being beat by a two pair that catches his boat.

I should actually start a thread on that subject, now that I think about it. But, the answer is that I don't consider a one-card straight or flush catch a bad beat (unless its the type of thing where the catcher goes all-in on a prayer.) I really hate those!

[boondockst]

Twice in same tourney...to the same player...both times with kings....Example:

My hand: AK
His hand: K3

Flop: K 3 8

He goes all in...i call

Turn: blank
River: 8

Did that exact same thing to the same guy twice...his fault for being in with K3 but still...tough way to go down.