The key to accepting bad beats is to truly think in terms of EV. For me this happened when I realized that even when I *won* a pot, I had not actually won the entire thing. Some people try to go half way by muttering things like "I'm winning in the long run" or "keep making those calls and I'll get every dollar you have" as they steam and tilt.
But why is any single player at the table, including yourself, more entitled to win the pot than another? If you get KK all in pre-flop vs AA, wouldn't you like KK to spike a winning K every so often? Haven't you ever thought "well, I'm probably beat, but maybe I'll hit my card" or "I'm behind, but I have odds to call" before?
So when you get AA all in against KK, and the AA holds up, recognize that even then you've only won a fraction of the pot. Don't put all that money in your mental bank just yet -- because some of it is just on loan.
Another key to dealing with bad beats is to step back and look closely at how happy the player is who issued that beat. Most likely they're smiling -- smile with them. The hand is over, and at least somebody is happy. Soak up some of the happiness from that other player. Pretend you actually are that player, stacking those chips. Be happy.
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you do not own the pot, even when it's shipped to you
Date: 2005-06-25 14:37 (UTC)But why is any single player at the table, including yourself, more entitled to win the pot than another? If you get KK all in pre-flop vs AA, wouldn't you like KK to spike a winning K every so often? Haven't you ever thought "well, I'm probably beat, but maybe I'll hit my card" or "I'm behind, but I have odds to call" before?
So when you get AA all in against KK, and the AA holds up, recognize that even then you've only won a fraction of the pot. Don't put all that money in your mental bank just yet -- because some of it is just on loan.
Another key to dealing with bad beats is to step back and look closely at how happy the player is who issued that beat. Most likely they're smiling -- smile with them. The hand is over, and at least somebody is happy. Soak up some of the happiness from that other player. Pretend you actually are that player, stacking those chips. Be happy.