If you play poker for any length of time, you are going to hear the term bad beats. The term is used to refer to what happens to a player when they are holding a really good hand and yet still manage to lose. Many people get confused by the term because each player seems to have a different opinion about exactly what type of hand or play equals a bad beat.
Many people assume that bad beats are a kind of conspiracy. This is especially true when they happen during an online game. It is not at all uncommon for a person to accuse the online casino of rigging the random number generator The main reason for the accusations has to do with the fact that bad beats are more common when a person is playing online poker at download full tilt poker than if they are playing in a real world casino. If you feel that a particular casino seems to be generating an extremely high number of bad beats you need to stop playing at that particular casino and start playing elsewhere.
Cover Yourself
If you are playing online you need to assume that there is always a chance that you could find yourself dealing with a bad beat. This means that with every hand you need to protect yourself. The way that you do this is by canceling your play. If you play online long enough you should start to recognize the signs that you are dealing with a bad beat. Just fold and wait for the next hand.
Dealing with a Bad Beat
The biggest problem with bad beats is the effect the play has on the player. Most players, especially novice players, find that a bad beat delivers a severe blow to their confidence. One or two bad beats and it becomes very hard for them to focus on the game. There are two ways to handle a bad beat.
The first way to handle a bad beat is to stop playing, to just get up and walk away from the table until you can get your head in the game. While this will prevent you from making silly mistakes that could cost you your bankroll. The problem is that walking away can quickly become a bad habit.
The better policy for dealing with a bad beat is to learn to just let them roll off your shoulders. Bad beats happen to everyone from time to time. You need to train your mind not to dwell on it. The idea is that you need to learn to let that hand go and focus on the rest of the game. Once you can do this you will be well on your way to becoming an expert poker player.
If you find that you absolutely cannot deal with bad beats, if they not only make it difficult for you to focus on your game but also seems to effect the rest of your day as well, you should simply stop playing poker online.