Winning every hand you are dealt with every time you play poker is nothing short of a miracle. In any game, for that matter, winning and losing is inevitable, where at the end of the game, there’s only one winner. However, most often, it is always the losses that we constantly dwell upon, thinking over and again, as to where we went wrong.
Winning a couple of hands and losing some is quite common in poker. Still, it is quite alarming when you lose frequently. And, for such instances, Latest Gaming News has highlighted the reasons that cause even the most seasoned poker players to lose in the poker game.
While there are many reasons why you are losing at the poker table, there are numerous ways to stop your losing streak as well. Understanding the reasons, what truly matters are accepting your losses, and moving on to face new poker games, with a fresh mindset.
Overview of poker
At the end of the day, Poker is a gambling game, which requires both skill and chance. Even so, when you introduce the betting element, poker also becomes a game of analysis, psychology, and predictions.
In a nutshell, poker is played with the standard 52 cards of four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs), which are ranked from high to low. Every player is dealt a hand of five cards while the highest hand emerges as the winner.
Reasons why you are losing at poker table
Bad luck is the most common reason attributed to losing in a poker game. While we cannot manipulate or control our own luck at the poker table, other reasons are in our control, which includes:
- You have developed a predictable pattern
When you are playing against the same opponents, in the beginning, you may win many hands, but over time, you face a losing streak. The likely reason for this is that your game has become too predictable for your opponent.
- Poor game selection
Sometimes, the games that you are losing may be tough irrespective of your proficiency, as your opponents may be better players than you.
Tips for winning poker
Selecting the spot or table where you are better than your opponents is the key. You can achieve this by taking a look around at the players occupying the various tables, or simply watch them play for a while. Professional poker players always tend to observe their opponents irrespective of their skill levels.
- You’re facing off with opponents with better skills or experience
You may be quite proficient in Texas Hold’em. In fact, you may be ranked as the fourth-best player in the world. The chances of having a heads-up with the number one best player will definitely decrease your winning chances.
- Tilt
Even the most professional poker players have experienced great loss at one point or another due to tilt. Now, tilt is perceived differently by different players; while the most common ones include, not playing with a positive mindset, or physically being present at the table, but your mind is preoccupied with past losses, for instance.
Another type of tilt is where you have lost two or more hands, and suddenly win the next, but you leave the table to celebrate, or to come back the next day, to lose badly. Unfortunately, this is the most common scenario where players fail to call, it quits when they are losing continuously. Most often, a winning hand will take your mind away from the game, making you lose the next hand.
Pro Poker Tip: Learn to accept your winnings and losses with a collective mind. Play a new hand with a new mindset rather than dwelling in the past where you either lost or won the hand.
How can you stop losing at poker?
For beginners, especially, having a complete understanding of the difference of every variant of poker is important. If you know the in and out of Stud poker, but have very little knowledge about Omaha, it is quite obviously safe to play the latter.
Understand whom you are playing against, as most often or not, you may find competing against players with better skills than yours. Choosing the right matches or poker tables is thus very important.
Apart from the reasons listed above, the fundamental reason that specifically applies to beginners, is the lack of a rudimentary understanding of the game. In such instances, make use of the free tutorials and videos featuring some of the richest poker professionals in the world.
