Many people ask me how to overcome poor beats in poker because they are annoyed with volatility and downswings.
In this in-depth blog post, I'll offer my techniques, tips, and insights for regaining focus after tough beats so you can get back to playing your best poker as soon as possible.
Here are my top five poker methods for dealing with poor beats without further ado.
Bad Beat Tip #1: Keep a Healthy Amount of Perspective
When it comes to overcoming poor beats in poker, I find that having the viewpoint that poker is simply a game, no matter what occurs at the table, works incredibly well for me.
Indeed, when some person with an overpair two-outs my set, I remind myself that the fact that I'm playing poker means I'm one of the luckiest people on the planet.
The truth is that I was born in the first world, nurtured in a loving home, and received an education; as a result, it's easy to take these blessings for granted daily.
The truth is that I was dealt aces in the game of life. Because you're reading this on your $500 smartphone, you're most certainly from the first world. Remember that half of the globe lives on less than $2.50 per day, and they have no influence over how they were born into that brutal reality.
You may have been the one who did it. What happens after that? Worrying about a bad beat at the table would be a dream come true.
That fact alone outweighs all of the conceivable tragedies the game of poker might bring me, and no poker defeat will ever be able to take that away from me.
As a result, I count my blessings in real-time while my opponent collects my entitled winnings:
I am in good health.
My family is very supportive of me.
I am in charge of my fate.
I live in the United States of America… the list goes on and on.
In short, I've returned to feeling appreciative and haven't given a thought to the fact that I've just been dealt a poor hand in poker.
Watch this fantastic video on How to Overcome Bad Beats in Poker to look more deeply at the subject.
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Bad Beat Tip #2: Understanding Bad Beats in Poker
At the poker table, bad beats are normal and sometimes expected. Any time you put money in when you're a definite favourite to win the pot qualifies as a bad beat in poker. Most people would consider it a terrible moment if you get it all-in with an overpair against. A flush draw and lose.
But the truth is that you'll only win that pot about 70% of the time, not 100% of the time. The issue here is that one's expectations are unrealistic.
Most people believe that because they are a favourite, they are entitled to win the pot, but the truth is that you will lose more than 1 out of every 4 occasions.
When we consider your chances of winning in terms of probability, we rapidly learn that non-zero probabilities occur more frequently than we assume. They are, in fact, predicted to occur.
We must psychologically prepare for them and, as a result, be appreciative for the moments when we succeed. We'll be better able to withstand a run of bad luck if we psychologically prepare to lose and manage our expectations.
Bad Beat Tip #3: Reframing Your View of Bad Beats in Poker
If we want to understand how to recover from terrible beats in poker, we must first acknowledge that we should value bad beats in the first place.
Isn't that insane?
Please consider what I'm saying.
We wouldn't be able to get the money in with the greatest hand if we didn't have the chance to get a terrible beat. You're probably a good, winning player who puts his money in with the best of the most of the time, right? Because you rarely get the money in behind, you're actually a favorite to take a bad beat!
The truth is that poker as we know it would not exist if it weren't for luck. Poker would be like chess if the best hand always won, and no one would play for money because weaker players could never win. We have to recognize that luck is a component of the game if we want to be successful players. There are many famous female poker players in Canada who are very successful and if you also want to be a successful poker player then read this post completely.
We have to recognize that luck is a component of the game if we want to be successful players. Click To Tweet via @AlecTorelli
Instead of cursing your bad luck the next time you lose a hand in poker, change your mindset. Thank you, luck, for giving you another chance to make money and count your blessings.
To reframe your approach, repeat this simple phrase to yourself.
‘I am grateful for luck because, without it, I would not be able to make money playing this game.' Nothing at the poker table can erase the fact that I've had more than my fair share of luck in my life. I'm glad for X, Y, and Z, and I consider myself quite fortunate to have them in my life.'
Watch this video on How to Remain Focused After Bad Beats in Poker for the more helpful content.
Bad Beat Tip #4: After a Bad Beat in Poker, Regain Your Focus
It's critical to regain your focus as soon as possible if you want to understand how to recover from poor beats in poker. As you know, a long night, week, or even month of work can unravel in a flurry of desperation and frustration in just a few minutes of weakness.
I've tried a lot of different techniques to regain my attention after poor poker beats, and this is what I've found to be the most effective.
Step 1: Recognize that you've been dealt a bad hand.
Accepting bad beats is the first step towards overcoming bad beats in poker. You can't change the past, and obsessing on it will only impede your ability to play A game poker in the future.
While I recognise that this is much easier said than done, I've discovered that physically telling myself that I accept what is works extremely well.
“I accept that I have lost my hand and there is nothing I can do about it,” I say again.
I'll do it while the dealer cools off by cutting the cards. Then, before the next hand comes, I'll work on getting myself focused as rapidly as possible.
But first, I like to go through a procedure that allows me to reclaim control over the situation.
Step 2: Replay the Hand and Make Any Corrections
When we suffer a poor beat at poker, it can feel as though we have no control over the situation. Focusing on the aspects of the game that I can manage and forgetting about the rest is what I find works best for me.
That's why I always go over the hand in my head to see if there's anything I could have done better. This prepares me to focus on what matters most in the end — making profitable decisions – rather than worrying about the outcome. In the end, making money is simply a result of doing our jobs well, and it will come eventually.
Start with the preflop and work your way through the hand, detaching yourself from the outcomes.
Did you perform flawlessly?
What would you have done differently if you could go back in time?
Here you can explore any ideas and think outside the box.
Step 3: Shift Your Attention
After that, I'll tell myself a good mantra to help me restore my focus after a poor beat. I'll always focus on taking the steps necessary to assist me get my money back as quickly as possible.
I might say something like, ‘At the poker table, I am present and focused.' I'm just concerned with what I can influence. ‘My goal is to play the following hand as well as I can.'
This simple yet effective slogan helps me get back into the habit of making good, money-making decisions. As soon as the following hand is dealt, the momentum begins to increase.
Assume I'm looking at an appealing but unplayable hand like J9ss. I'm tempted to play this hand even in early position in the hopes of recouping my losses, but I realise it's not a good long-term bet.
By plainly stating, “My aim is to play the following hand in the best way possible,” I've shifted my focus back to something I can control, making it simpler to fold that unplayable hand. I can then begin the long process of recouping my losses. Have a look at Unknown facts about Gambling in Canada.
Step 4: Improve Your Concentration at the Poker Table
Forming a routine that conditions me to rapidly restore my focus, exactly like an athlete does in a sporting event, is a hack I've discovered works incredibly well for me.
When you observe high performers, you'll find that they always have a ritual that helps them get into the zone. Take, for example, tennis players. If you pay attention, you'll see that they follow a similar pattern before serving each point: dribble the ball gently, examine the competition, exhale, and serve.
At the poker table, I do the same thing. Whenever I find myself becoming frustrated or losing focus, I've discovered that engaging in any type of physical activity helps me to centre myself and be present.
I started by closing my eyes for two seconds, inhaling deeply, and gently expelling.
This worked for me, and the simple but refreshing movement helped me regain my focus.
However, I'm continuously looking for new and innovative ways to improve my focus and mental game in order to truly tackle the dilemma of how to beat bad beats in poker.
Essential oils were first brought to me by a mentor who was a firm believer in them nearly ten years ago. It helped her relax and quiet down in stressful situations, as well as focus when she needed to finish an assignment. She advised I give them a shot to see if they could help me gain an advantage in poker.
After my sessions, I started using them at home with a diffuser to help me transition from the high-intensity, adrenaline-filled sessions to help me relax before night.
The results were instantaneous, so I made it a regular practise. I tried every scent, from lavender to frankincense, tea tree to ylang-ylang, throughout the years until I found my favourite combination. I'd then combine a few drops of each to make a mixture of my favourite blend, exactly like you'd make in the kitchen for your favourite smoothie.
Like a Pavlovian dog, I had trained myself to calm down whenever I smelled my favourite odours over time. It became a sort of morning ritual for me, and I discovered that with experience, I could shift my attitude with a simple smell.
I went a step further and designed a mix for attention at work so that I could be more productive during the day, and I also used it before my poker sessions when it was game time.
And, while this worked for me for a long time, I always hoped I could get a whiff of these scents when I needed them the most, at the poker table.
When I established ConsciousPoker, one of the first things I set out to do was provide not only the best strategy content and products in the world, but also those that would aid with mentality, which I attribute to my long-term poker success.
That objective inspired our unique approach to presenting these great scents to you at the poker table, which have been designed over the years to help you calm down and regain focus as quickly as possible.
ConsciousPoker Essential Oils
We've produced two distinct essential oil blends for top performance at ConsciousPoker: Tilt Recovery and Fast Focus, each with specific blends of the highest quality essential oils, engineered to help you recover and restore focus faster.
We didn't stop there, though. I wanted a creative and unique way to carry this perfume around with me without having to open the bottle and pour a few drops on a regular basis. So I made our necklace, which has a felt pad inside our Tree of Life logo where you can place a few drops of your preferred essential oil and simply sniff it whenever you want to play better poker.
Our necklaces are sleek, modern, and fashionable to wear, and were created in collaboration with 9Millimetri, an Italian jewellery manufacturer based in Rome that handcrafts some of the industry's finest pieces.
It's simple to combine the oils with the necklace. Simply apply one to two drops to the inside of the felt pad of your necklace (our oils are highly strong), and you're ready to go.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and smell the perfume while telling yourself how you want to act, perform, and feel, then exhale.
Of course, this isn't magic; it's just a basic technique that has proven to be really effective for me over the years, and I want to be able to share it with as many of you as possible.
Bad Beat Tip #5: Concentrate on the Upcoming Hand
If you want to learn how to recover from poor beats in poker, set a goal for yourself to return to concentrate on the next hand as soon as possible.
To summarise, your procedure should look like this:
Determine what, if anything, you could have done differently.
“The next time I'm in that circumstance, I'm going to do this instead,” repeat.
Accept the bad beat and focus on the positive aspects of your life outside of poker, which should make the terrible beat seem inconsequential.
“I accept that I have lost my hand,” say it again. I am thankful that my family is secure and healthy, and that I live in a first-world country.”
Create a clear, concise, and positive self-affirmation about how you want to think, feel, and behave, focusing on what you can control. This is the one I'm currently using. If it works for you, feel free to borrow it. “At the poker table, I am present and focused,” repeat. I'm just concerned with what I can influence. “My goal is to play the following hand as well as I can.”
To prepare yourself to be calm and focused with a scent, try out our essential oil combinations.
Inhale, exhale, and take a deep breath.
If you still can't focus after following all of these measures, take a break. Take a walk, respond to a few emails, or call someone. Doing something useful helps me focus my energy toward something positive and relieves the aggravation I'm experiencing at the time.
If everything else fails, try the most outlandish suggestion.
Bad Beat Tip #6: Rip Up Money
When I play poker, I find it easy to get desensitized to money and lose sight of its importance in the real world.
This occurs when we develop a tolerance for gambling and the money ceases to be real or significant. We no longer feel stimulated by playing poker, just as a habitual drinker does not feel buzzed by a glass of wine.
This is especially true when we're down and have taken a bad beat. After all, when you're down to your last $500, obsessing over a $15 raise preflop can seem meaningless.
What is the solution?
Make money via robbing.
While taking a break from the poker table, I cut a $1, $5, or $10 bill in two and throw it away (depending on how stuck or tilted I am).
This blasphemous, absurd conduct is excruciatingly unpleasant because spending money is irresponsible and hurtful. It does, however, serve a purpose. I'm jolted back into reality and reminded that money is real, and it matters outside of the poker table.
This provides me with a much-needed perspective adjustment and reawakens my desire to care about even the most insignificant things. To be honest, of all the suggestions above, this is the most practical and quick method for dealing with poor beats at poker.
Bad Beat Tip #7: Know When to Fold Em
‘You have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold'em,' explains Kenny Rogers. If you're still frustrated or impatient after attempting everything in this tutorial on how to overcome bad beats in poker using the six tactics given above, simply pick up and walk away.
Of course, saying this is easier than doing it, especially when you're losing. ‘Quitting is the easy part,' as Tommy Angelo famously says. Standing up is the most difficult thing.'
This is why I've discovered it's important to have a structure in place to hold myself accountable. After each session, having someone with whom I can share my wins and losses and examine hands motivates me to make better, more profitable decisions at the poker table.
I understand that not everyone has access to a support network of aspiring players with similar aspirations or people with whom they can have in-depth discussions about poker, which is why we founded the Conscious Poker Membership Program.
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The Conscious Poker Membership
The Conscious Poker Club is a group of people that are interested in playing poker in
Given the price, I genuinely believe it is the best investment for a poker program on the market.
You'll get monthly group coaching with me, which is your chance to ask me any questions you have and get fast feedback on your game, in addition to obtaining new in-depth strategy films from me on a weekly basis, with stuff I only share within our restricted membership.
We also offer a members-only section moderated by myself and a ConsciousPoker certified coach where you may get poker-related advice and discuss hands and session reports. This has proven to be a wonderful resource for our members since knowing that their results will be shared with other members who will keep them accountable motivates everyone to improve their game.
Finally, once you confirm your membership, you'll have access to two mini-courses (previously sold for $197): Hand Reading Foundation, where I share the exact Four Step Process I use to make decisions in every hand I play, and Mastering Poker Math, the ultimate course to help you with your fundamentals.
I hope you found this in-depth blog post on how to recover from terrible poker beats useful. If you found it useful, the finest praise you can pay us is to forward it to someone who would benefit from it.
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Thank you for your time and consideration.
