Bad Beats - And the After Effects

As you may know, there's an element of luck in poker. You can get your money in with the best of it but that's no guarantee the cards will fall your way. This is actually one of the things that makes the game so great. A 'bad beat' is a scenario where you get your cards in ahead and end up losing the hand.

The 'luck' of the game makes it exciting. If cards always stood up, conservative play would rule and players would wait for premium starting hands. Not a recipe for high tension, gripping poker. In knowing that there's an element which is down to luck, the part which we can control (which hands to play and how we play them) becomes even more important. It's hugely important to be relatively selective so as to limit your exposure to risk. This means playing the right hands from the right spots and chipping out an advantage wherever you can.

Let's look at a few examples of 'bad beats', many of which i am sure experienced players will relate to. You are playing in a short handed game. Player one holds AA pre flop and raises $50. Player 2 holds A2 and re-raises the pot to $150. You call. All other players fold. The Flop comes 10-J-2; action is on you. You move all in. Player 2 thinks about it then makes the call. Cards are turned - you're a massive favorite to win. In fact, you will win 91% of the time. The turn comes 3. Then the river deals a blow with a second 2 to the board - giving your opponent three 2's and the pot. On the turn, with only one card to come, the AA is a 95% favorite to win. This is a scenario where you got the right response from your bet but the wrong result.

How do Bad Beats affect players?

A bad beat can have a detrimental psychological effect on a player and can often put a player on tilt. It is important to expect these beats and also accept them when they happen. They are all part of the game. When you let these beats affect your play, there's every chance you're going to lose even more through emotional plays. We need to take it on the chin and get back to playing our best game.

Many of us will have seen the effects of tilt - one prime example is Phil Hellmuth who is notorious for his reactions when a worse hand than his comes good. Yes, there's a lot of showboating - however he has been known to tilt away the rest of his chips. At the same time, with the number of WSOP bracelets he has - he is also pretty good at keeping things together! It's important to remember that players that make fishy calls are the source of easy money - you don't normally complain when stripping some scallywag of his hard earned cash. When a game embraces an element of luck, it is to be expected that your hand will get overturned from time to time.

The Bad Beat Jackpot

Most online rooms have a 'bad beat jackpot' which is paid out when you lose with four of a kind or better and can be for substantial amounts of money. On the larger sites, this jackpot can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most jackpots are progressive and build up over time, until they're won. Rooms do vary the conditions to which the jackpot can be won, some, simply lose with four of a kind or better, others specify the minimum hand - for example four of a kind 8's or better. When the jackpot is won, the losing hand takes the largest share of the jackpot with a percentage being split around the other players in the hand. For a chance to win, you'll usually have to play at the bad beat jackpot tables which you have to play to stand a chance of winning the jackpot. These games usually take a slightly higher rake to contribute to the jackpot. They don't usually run across tournament play.