Some of the toughest things to deal with in the always popular game of Texas Hold’em, are the bad beats that come with playing. Whether you get the chips all in the middle pre-flop, on the flop, or on the turn, that bad beat on one of those final cards can put players on tilt for days, weeks, or even longer! Obviously, you really can’t avoid bad beats most of the time, the only thing that you can really do in order to keep yourself from the bad beats, is just consistently attempt to get the chips in when you are ahead of your opponent. The bad beats will happen, so just be prepared both mentally, and in terms of your bankroll, for when the bad beats do end up hitting. We’ll take a look at some of the worst ways to get hit with a bad beat, but also give some thoughts on ways to avoid going on tilt because of the beats.
All-In Pre-Flop
Talk about a swing of emotions. We all know the feeling when you get your chips all in before the flop comes down and you have pocket Ace’s against the pocket King’s of your opponent. What’s the card that comes out? It’s none other than one of the final two King’s in the deck. It’s tough to deal with, but there’s one that’s probably even worse than that one. This is when you get it in with a big pocket pair like Aces, and your opponent turns over a hand like King-Queen, and is able to hit either trips, or two pair, and send your pocket Aces to the sidelines. Stay positive throughout the hand if you get it all-in pre-flop though. Many people have different strategies for doing so, and one of them is simply to look the other way when the cards are dealt!
All-In Post Flop
This is a very tough spot to deal with. You hold a big over pair, and your opponent is raising you all over the place, you make the push all in, and your opponent calls with say, a pair of ten’s. You are obviously way ahead with your pocket Queens, but you have two more cards to come still. And then there it is on the turn, the other ten to give your opponent three of a kind, and leave you shaking your head while that river card comes down to give you no help. This is one of the toughest bad beats to take, but let’s just face it, it happens! To make it even worse, let’s just come to terms right now with the fact that taking a beat beat on the river is going to happen as well, and you can bet that it will sting. Whether your opponent flops trips on the river, hits two pair, or even hits their flush or straight, it’ll leave you shaking your head.
Dealing With Bad Beats
It’s not easy, and no one can sit there with a straight face and tell you that it is. When you get sucked out on it leaves you with a taste in your mouth that makes you want to go home and not think about poker for hours, days, or weeks. But if you are able to deal with the bad beat, and continue to play your game, that is how you know that you have progressed as a poker player. Some of the best players in the game will simply understand that if a bad beat hits, they need to move on to the next hand, or else they’ll never be a profitable player. Remember, your opponent isn’t the only one who has sucked out, we all get to suck out once or twice right? Just stay focused, and if you need to, get up and take a break from poker and get something to eat and relax for a bit!
