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Halt that Skid
People do not like to take responsibility for their losses. Everyone
wants to believe that they are great at most things, and when it seems like
this is proven contrary, they blame it on luck. This holds true in poker,
where losing streaks are never the result of a lack of skill. There are
easily identified reasons why someone starts to lose badly at poker.
The first, of course, actually IS luck. But there is good news. If the only
reason you are losing at poker, eventually the tide will turn your way.
Luck, good or bad, never lasts forever. The longer you play poker, and the
smarter you get at it, the less part bad luck will play in your game. Ride
out the streak like all poker players have to at one time or another, but
make sure your frustration doesn’t contribute to your luck.
Some players are just too predictable. A good mark of this is if you have
been playing well at a table, but now find yourself on a losing streak
against the same opponents. Your opponents have made you, especially if your
approach is fairly straightforward. Shake this up by making some deceptive
and uncharacteristic moves. If you never bluff, try going the distance on a
rotten hand.
When you do get unlucky, stay calm.
The number one reason that your losing streak will continue is that you
are seething inside, which will lead to mistakes. If you find yourself
playing bad hands, shaking, blowing up at barbs, take a break and leave the
table. You’ll just keep losing if you stay.
Poker players also lose because they lack the game fundamentals. Learning
poker basics is easy, though. The industry is a multi million dollar
business, and poker has been around for centuries. There is a lot of
information out there to help you hone your knowledge and skill.
Don’t play against people that are way better than yourself. It’s like the
Olympics. Being in the top ten is excellent, but you are a long way from the
skill level of the people on the podium. Don’t be proud, and select your
game carefully. Don’t go in against players that can hammer you, because
odds are they will.
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