poker diary

When it comes to your poker strategy, it’s always easy to avoid thinking about Bad Beats, purely because nobody likes them.

They’re a huge part of the game though and affect every player at some point. If you’re lucky enough not to have experienced one already then the chances are you’re yet to sit down and play a proper poker tournament or you’ve been playing FAR too tightly for your own good.

We’ve all sat there shaking our head as the river card is dealt and the guy who’s decided to throw all his chips into the middle table with an 8 3 offsuit has come up smelling of roses and taken 90% of your chips in the process. You’re left there shaking your head wondering how you could have been such a favourite for the pot and still ended up with nothing. There’s a sense of injustice that you’ve been cheated out of something that was rightfully yours and it’s this feeling that needs to be overcome as soon as possible. Otherwise, at best you’ll be frustrated and angry. At worst, you’ll go on tilt which will threaten your involvement in the tournament you’re playing in.

Getting over a bad beat is obviously a lot easier said than done though. How do you put something like that behind you? What’s the best way to get over Lady Luck leaving you so harshly?

Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to get it off your chest by talking to your fellow players. They don’t care and don’t want to know. It’s very much an unwritten rule in poker that you can talk about practically anything you want at the table other than bad beats. It’s the last thing that everyone wants to hear – after all, they’re a part of the game and everyone’s had them. Besides, why would they want to help anyway? They’d love you to go on tilt.

So if you can’t talk to the people around the table, what can you do? Well, as someone who has suffered their fair share of bad beats, I’ve come up with a short list which will hopefully help.

I wouldn’t advise doing this in a live game though or you’ll find two big guys dragging you to the nearest exit before you know what’s going on. Instead, sit out a couple of hands, push your chair back and get away from the table. Go and chat to a friend, get another drink from the bar or throw a couple of coins into a slot machine. Just take your mind off the situation for a minute or so. That way, you’ll be able to think a lot more clearly when you sit back down at the poker table.

2. Feel pleased with yourself. Honestly. After all, you played your hand correctly. You got your chips into the middle of the table at the right time … and it just didn’t work out. You have, however, identified a great source for future income. After all, if your opponent keeps playing like that he won’t be keeping those chips for very long. You just need to make sure you’re around when he makes his next mistake.

3. If you play most of your poker at home, check out onlinepoker room ratings. There are sites out there that offer Bad Beat Jackpots meaning that if the worst happens, you can stand to make a fat pile out of cash out of having your monster hand cracked. For example, at the time of writing Carbon Poker

And picking up a cheque that big, is the BEST way to get over a bad beat!