Every time you put your chips in the middle in a poker game you are taking a calculated risk. In poker good players bet or put there chips in the middle for a number of reasons they include:
Value bet: You believe they hold the best hand.
Semi bluff: You are drawing to what the believe will be the best hand and your opponent may possibly fold their hand.
Pure bluff: Your hand has no value and they have no draw. The only way to win is to get your opponent to fold.
This past week has reminded me of the fact that even if you do everything right and put money in with best hand or best draw you do not deserve to win all the time. If you put money in the pot when you are a 70/30 favorite you will still lose 30% of the time.
I think it is pointless for me to write about bad beats and cooler hands I have experienced. This week I have been disappointed how I have reacted to bad beats. On four occasions I have let my emotions get the better of me and mouthed off in the chat box.
Five Reasons Why Berating Opponents is Bad
- It Helps Your Opponents Improve their Game
- Your opponent may be offended and leave.
- Other players will notice you tilting and may exploit you
- It is poor sportsmanship.
- It is immature.
I have been happy with my game over the pat week. I need to control how I handle bad beats and adjust to weaker opponents. So if you see me at the tables and I am talking trash remind me that at the poker table no one is entitled to anything.
