When he turned over AK off suit I was elated as
I was over a 92% favorite to double up. Of course if my aces had held up you wouldn’t
be reading about it here. After all of the burns and turns the board read Q, T,
6, T, J giving him a straight and me a seat on the sidelines. The next hand I
want to discuss is the one that knocked my wife out of the tournament. It was
down to four players and she and the other middle-sized stack both got all in
before the flop. She had AK off suit against his A8 suited, which made her a 69%
favorite. After the flop came K, T, 9 rainbow she was a 91% favorite. The turn
was a 6 and the river was a 7, giving him a straight and her a place beside me.
She would have been the chip leader and in the money if she would have won that
hand.
Some people would whine about
both of these as being bad beats and act like the cards owed them something. The
way I choose to look at these situations is a little different and helps keep
me focused and off tilt. If I’m a 95% favorite and the 5% wins, then I feel
that the next time I’ll be a 96% favorite because I know that I’ll win
95 out of 100 times and I’ve already used up one of the losses. I also know
that if I continue to strive to put myself in these situations, I will be successful.
Of course this is not the only method
one can use to avoid tilt. Here are some suggestions and methods that work for
some players. The most important thing is to have a plan in place ahead of time.
So find something that works for you and your game and stick with it.
1.
Understand that you will receive bad beats as a poker player. As a matter of fact
you will receive more bad beats, as you become a better player. This is because
you will be less likely to get your money in the pot as an underdog than your
opponents who don’t play as well as you. Therefore you will have fewer chances
to give bad beats than receive them. The simple process of consciously recognizing
that you will receive bad beats is the first step in handling them well.
2.
Often a bad beat or two in a short time is a good excuse to take a break. Remember
that poker is a lifelong game and there will be another hand dealt when you get
back. Missing a few hands or even a few hours can be beneficial. Often a breath
of fresh air and a short walk will do wonders for your frame of mind.
3.
Make a conscious decision to tighten up your starting hand requirements for a
few rounds. If playing Hold’em, play only AA, KK, QQ, and AK. This will guarantee
that you will not be playing many hands for a few rounds and will only let you
enter the pot with a strong hand. What will happen most times is you will play
no hands except your big blind and this will give you time to start thinking correctly
again.
4. Short bouts of tilt are
least harmful in limit poker. If playing pot-limit or no-limit, even a short stint
of tilt can put a large dent in your bankroll or eliminate you from a tournament.
For this reason, when playing pot-limit or no-limit I strongly suggest a short
break, or even switching to a limit game for a while if you are able.
5.
Some players start drinking when they receive a bad beat. Do not let this be you.
No matter how bad the beat was, drinking will in no way help you make the correct
decisions to turn your session around.
As many before me have
written, get your money in with the best of it and
over the long run you will be not only a winning
player, but a profitable one too.
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