5 Reasons Why You Might Be Losing at Poker
One of the most famous allegories about Poker is a war.
Poker is a war pretending to be a game, they say. And in war, even the most skillful, experienced, and wisest commanders have to deal with losing.
Losing at Poker is not just losing; it’s a signal to revisit your strategy and expertise, especially if you are one of those players who always blame everything on Mrs. Bad Luck.
In this article, we are going to look into the five reasons why you might have got stuck in a Poker losing streak and what your next move should be.
Reason No.1 – Bad Luck
As we’ve already touched upon Poker quotes, let us turn to them once again.
Rick Bennet believes that, in the long run, there’s no luck in Poker, but the short run is longer than most people know.
Mrs. Bad luck does come for a visit occasionally. You might be sure that you are doing the right things and be actually doing them, but the game will still go downhill.
Even the best players in the world go through losing streaks lasting for months. However, if you are losing after having played Poker for more than 1,000 – 2,000 hours, it’s a totally different story. Probably, it’s not Bad Luck but a lack of experience and expertise, or some other reason we are going to mention further on here.
Over a short period – you are totally allowed to pin it on Mrs. Bad Luck. If, on the other hand, the situation is not changing for six months or more, you should look for other reasons why you have been losing.
ReasonNo.2 – They Are Reading You with No Effort
The second reason you might be losing at Poker is that you’ve become too predictable. It is most likely to be true for the situations when you have been playing against the same rivals and doing it quite successfully, and then suddenly you notice that you are constantly losing when facing the same people. They must have caught up with what you were doing before and found a way to outplay you. Maybe you are not bluffing enough when you are against them. Or, perhaps, bluffing is fine, but it keeps being the same old story that readers learned by heart a long time ago… There is a chance your opponents have changed their style or perfected their techniques… But we are here to focus on what you can do, and it all comes down to this: you have become too predictable. Change it!
ReasonNo.3 – the Games are Tough
Even if you are the 3rd best Ohio Poker player, and one day you sit down at the table with the first and the second leading players from your city… It’s great to be the bronze champion of Ohio – no doubts about it. But right here, right now, at this very table, you are the worst, and you are going to lose once again.
It is a chance for you to test how adequate your self-awareness is and how well you can evaluate other people’s skills. Admitting that your skills are somewhat inferior will help you start looking for other opponents to have some fun or search for a new Poker sensei to keep moving forward.
Reason No.4 – Your Fundamentals Leave Much to Be Desired
The good news here: it’s curable, and the cure is learning and practicing. You can start with watching videos or reading tutorials and Hand breakdowns, join online streams and communities – there is plenty of content at your disposal nowadays that will allow you to get better with no expenditures.
You can’t become a regular Poker winner with no deeper understanding of the games as well as with no fundamentals. It is an important part even for those who left the title of a beginner behind quite a time ago. There is always someone doing the same things as you but on a higher level – start learning from their experience instead of collecting the negative cases of yours.
If you are just getting started and want to see what a simple Poker game looks like, go online and find a virtual casino. Among hundreds of real money pokies online, you will find video Poker games (often available for a free trial in a demo mode) or Live Dealer versions that are a great way to practice from your home.
Reason No.5 – the Poker Tilt
Not many poker players talk about it, but the tilt is one of the most common reasons that lead to deeper frustration, hence, a decreased control, and, as a result, worse overall performance. We may say it’s the champion in bringing down Poker players.
The tilt triggers the mechanisms of chasing losses and neglecting the maintenance of emotional stability. The only recipe to dispel the tilt is to quit before you feel that you should do it. Being able to catch the first signs of frustrations and to tell yourself: ‘It’s not my day; my head is not in the right place – it’s time to go home is the only way out.
Try to learn how to be present to stop gambling earlier than getting frustrated: feel all the physical, emotional, and mental sensations in your body and interpret them correctly. But if still nothing works out for you, here are some amazing Poker tips.
As one of the greatest Poker players once noticed:
You will show your Poker greatness by the hands you fold, not the hands you play.
We couldn’t have put it better, even if we wanted to.
