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Bad Beat (Poker)
The mere mention of 'Bad Beat' can be enough to make a players' skin crawl and yet it is a common occurrence at any poker table. A bad beat is the term given to a situation when you get your money in with the best hand and get out drawn (beaten by an opponent with worse cards).
Due to the nature of poker, part of the game is out with the control of players and rely on the 'luck of the draw'. The part of the game that a player can control is to determine which hands to play and which to discard (see poker starting hands). Beyond that, a player does not know which cards will be dealt and even the best starting hands can be beaten, and beaten easily.
For example, you are in a short handed game with 6 players including yourself. Player one raises $50, followed by player 2 who calls the bet. All other players fold and action is on you, who conveniently (for the purpose of this example) have American Airlines ( A (S) A (C) ). You move all in. Player i folds and player 2 calls. Everyone turns their cards over and player 2 has big slick ( A (D) K (S) ). As it stands you are a massive favorite with a 92.80% chance of winning (splitting the hand 1.35%). The flop comes and the board reads 10, J, Q, rainbow (Hearts). You are now going to win 1.82% of the time. The best you can hope for is one of the 3 remaining Kings to split the pot, which doesn't come. This is what is known as a bad beat as you get your money in with the best hand and get out drawn.
A bad beat is not only related to a play when a player makes a call or (re)raise without the cards or the pot odds. When a player with a strong hand beats a player with an even stronger hand.
Bad Beat - The effects on a player
A bad beat can have a detrimental psychological effect on a player and can often put a player on tilt. It is important to take these hits as part of the game as when you let bad beats affect your play, you will likely get involved with more hands than you should, increasing the chance that you will lose money. Bad beats affect every poker player and even the best have a hard time dealing with these loses. One prime example is Phil Hellmuth who is notorious for his reactions when getting beaten by a worse hand. A good player will learn quickly that this is all part of the game. You should remember that players making fishy calls and raises is where the easy money is - and 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. When it happens, move on and take it for what it is, part of the game.
The Bad Beat that Pays
Most online poker rooms have a bad beat jackpot which is paid out when you lose with four of a kind or better and can be substantial. On the larger sites, the bad beat jackpot can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most jackpots are progressive and build up over times until it is won. Poker 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. Many poker rooms have bad beat jackpot tables which you have to play to stand a chance of winning the jackpot. Bad beat jackpots can normally only be won in ring games and don't run across tournament play (as there is a set buy in and no rake - in which a percentage is taken and contributed to the Jackpot in ring games).
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