Bad beat 

Bad beat is an outrageous situation in poker when a player has a seemingly unbeatable card combination, but, for some reason, loses to an opponent who is statistically unlikely to win. 

A bad beat – one of the key reasons why players lose in poker

As we said previously,  a bad beat is a situation when a player’s strong hand suddenly turns out to be weak. So, how does this occur?

There can be a countless number of factors that influence the strength of a player’s hand. To illustrate some of them, imagine a situation: one player suddenly makes a monster draw on the river (linking). Or someone puts a low flush and surprisingly wins – there are many variations that can demonstrate this phenomenon.

Why does a bad beat happen?

Generally, a bad beat is a consequence of big fortune and it occurs at short distances. Therefore, if you are an experienced player who skillfully integrates different strategies into game style and constantly improves your knowledge of poker, then the likelihood of facing a bad beat at a long distance is rapidly reduced to zero.

Tilt – a main consequence of a bad beat

When players start constantly losing, they can get into the trap of the phenomenon that is called tilt.

Tilt is a player’s depressed condition, usually caused by a series of unsuccessfully played hands. Its typical symptoms: general fatigue, emotional imbalance, and self-disappointment.

Being tilted, a player is often stuck to a suboptimal strategy, clumsily bluffing and making silly mistakes that even non-skilled players can understand.

How to cope with the bad beat?

Bad beats are common, even expected at the poker table. Just take it for granted!

The main thing that skilled players should be aware of is the thing that from time to time even completely inexperienced players can be fortunate and win huge sums of money. And then, no matter how talented a player is, they have to face a bad beat.