Many online poker players, no matter what variation of the game they play, struggle to deal with bad beats. Admittedly there isn’t much worse than getting your chips in with a high percentage edge and watching the pot ship to a fishy opponent who hit a miracle card on the river. Bad beats are usually followed by the loser berating the winner in the chatbox. Tilt then comes into effect and more often than not causes the player who just took the sick beat to lose even more money out of frustration or the burning desire to win the chips back.
Okay, so not all players react to bad beats in that way but it’s definitely not uncommon. In fact, everyone has a breaking point. The point in which they just can’t take anymore and their emotional state begins to affect the way in which they play. If you do truly want to be able to deal with bad beats and stop going on tilt the first thing you need to do is identify your breaking point. Usually, the more online poker real money you play the more immune to the beats you become but no matter what stakes your play or what game, one person can only take so much.
Calculate your patience level and emotions
Step one is to work out how much you can take before you lose emotional control and you begin to play inferior poker. As the best online poker player, your aim should be to bring your A-game to the table 100% of the time. Now, this can be pretty difficult but if you’re serious about becoming a winner then it’s a concept you need to understand and apply.
Your breaking point might be after just one bad beat or it might be after five. Only you can know when it is and you need to be able to identify it. It’s usually around the time you start feeling agitated by the play of others or depressed about the lack of justice in the game. Finding out when your own breaking point occurs is the first step to learning how to deal with bad beats.
Do not play crossing your limit
Step two, believe it or not, is to stop playing once you have reached your breaking point. For most people, this is where to problems really start. They tell themselves over and over that they are feeling good and are still playing their A-game when inside they know that really emotional control is slipping.
If you want to become a successful player then you need to have self-control. Going on tilt will kill your win rate and in severe cases turn winning players into losers. The best way to prevent this from happening to you is to learn to identify when your breaking point is and stop yourself from playing when you reach that point.
Once you have stopped playing it is important to take a sustained break from the action. Try to do something that will relieve your frustration and return you to a calm state of mind. An exercise is a great tool in helping you achieve this. Just take a 30-minute break, go outside and do something physical. Only return to the tables when you are fully over the emotional stress from your previous session.
Happy playing!
Read more:
Going “All-In” Playing Online Poker Games
Take Your Online Poker Game to Next Level