Why Did I Lose (Part 2)

Written by Nigel

In the last post, we ended with a discussion on having the wrong opponents at the table and the two options – get better or get out.  Another possible for losing a poker game is can be attributed to two “bad” things.  It is either bad luck or bad play.  Let’s look at the first reason.  Whether you admit it or not, there is an element of luck in poker.  There are definitely going to be times when you will get bad cards.  There is no doubt about that.  You can attribute that to bad luck.  Yet if we go one step further and analyze things, you just might realize that though bad luck lands nasty cards on your lap, it cannot be blamed for your playing them.  That is why there is a move called folding…Poker is not only about getting good hands but also about minimizing your losses when you get the bad hands.  Are you getting my drift?

Now how about bad play?  What I described above is essentially that.  You need to know when to fold and when to plough on ahead.  If you choose to play a bad hand, then that is your fault.  Now going back to bad luck – there are really cases wherein you may be a victim of it.  This can happen even if you play your hands correctly and someone else at the table gets lucky on the river.  In this case, you can’t fault yourself for anything.

The bottom line is this: play as well as you can and don’t be too quick in blaming luck for your losses.