The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

After I have a losing night playing cards (and it will happen), I look back at some key pots that I lost and work out if I played them poorly or if it was just plain bad luck that caused me to lose all my chips. When I first started out playing poker, sometimes I'd look at my Aces being outdrawn and wonder if I should have entered the pot in the first place. You can't second guess yourself on these sort of hands when another player catches their lucky card to take the pot away from you. If you won't play Aces, why are you bothering to play to begin with?

I've had a number of bad beats the last few games I've played. My pocket tens were outdrawn by someone holding pocket sevens when they caught a seven on the turn to make a set. My flopped two pair couldn't hold up when my opponent caught his runner-runner flush on the river. My Ace-King was outdrawn by Queen-Eight suited when they made a runner-runner straight. Let me tell you something about these suckouts: I would not change at all the way I played these hands. The reason why they have a name for these events (bad beats) is because it happens a lot. I put my money in the middle with the best of it, and in the end, that's what you are supposed to be doing to win.

Today, we tried playing a "deep stack" tournament, with a higher amount of chips (5000 instead of our usual 800 with 30 minute blinds instead of 20) to work with so you can be more speculative and try different things. Looking back, there were some key hands which I did NOT play well. I overplayed some marginal hands and tried taking away pots when I clearly had no business being in them to start with. There was a point when I more than doubled my stack and could have had a chance to win the game, but I threw away the KISS principle (Keep it Simple Stupid) in a couple of situations. I lost about 7500 in chips in two hands where if I kept it simple, i.e. folded, I might be talking to you now about how I won.

So looking back and recognizing mistakes you've made should prepare you for your next game. In some instances where I've lost, it was the poker gods turning their back on me. In others, it was a case of overplaying hands and making bad decisions. Recognizing which situation is applicable to you will make you a better player in the long run.