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No Limit Hold 'Em Ring Games - Bad Beats and Bad Play |
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We all have our share of stories of extraordinary bad beats, and we tend to remember these stories because we often lose a lot of money to such instances of bad luck. Indeed, losing to one- or two- outers is never easy to deal with, especially when the loss is big. Moreover, there is little immediate comfort in knowing that in the long run everyone has the same luck.
However, from personal experience I can say for fact that I have lost much more money from bad plays rather than bad beats. This point is worth emphasizing. You tend to lose more money from bad plays than bad beats in the long run. Also, with bad plays you can at least learn something from them. You can review the hand that you just lost and figure out what you did wrong if you lost as a result of bad play. Bad beats, however, teach you nothing about the loss. If you were playing well it was simply bad luck and beyond your control that you lost on the river. This is one of the reasons why bad beats are not worth dwelling on. Bad beats are counter-productive in every way.
Of course there's no hardcore definition of what a bad beat is. Some people even consider losing to a completed straight or flush on the river as a bad beat. What is important is how one responds to bad beats. If you have just lost a big pot and start fuming, you probably feel that you have lost as a result of a "bad beat." The definition is irrelevant, only how you respond afterwards. If you are angry you would probably go on tilt, which is a red light (that you should stop playing). Seeking revenge and playing on tilt would only destroy your bankroll. If, however, you can shrug the incident off simply as a "bad beat" then it would not be a bad idea to keep playing assuming that you are still playing well.
In general, you should keep playing when you are playing well, but you should stop playing when you start playing poorly, when you are on tilt (angry), when you are tired, and/or when you start to feel impatient. |
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