So much so that I have thought about quitting the game entirely on a few occasions when it literally felt like I would never win another hand of poker again!
In this article I am going to break it all down for you. Here is how poker pros deal with a bad luck streak.
How Poker Pros Deal With a Bad Luck Streak - Understanding the Math
The first thing that I always do when I am on a bad luck streak in poker (also known as "running bad" or a "downswing"), is I check the math.
Now I use a program called PokerTracker in order to review my hands and check the math. If you play online poker and take it seriously at all, I highly recommend using a program like this.
Basically what PokerTracker allows me to do is study my losing hands and determine what the odds were when the majority of the money went into the pot.
So when I am on a lengthy bad luck streak what I will often do is load up my last 20 hands where I lost a significant amount (I often filter for pots where I lost at least 50 big blinds).
Then I will use the hand replayer built into PokerTracker (see pic below) to determine my equity at each stage of the way.
Equity by the way is just a fancy word we use in poker for the odds or the math. In the example above we had 95% equity in the pot.
Yes, you guessed it, he hit the 8 on the river :(
What this hand review session allows me to do is determine whether it is bad play that is causing me to lose or simply bad luck.
By the way, if you just want to learn my simple no BS system for exactly what hands to play, when to bet, raise and bluff, I cover this in extensive detail in my brand new training program, Play Fearless Poker.
Memorize the charts. Stop guessing. Start winning.
My new Play Fearless Poker training program includes 12+ hours of advanced poker lessons, 100+ step by step example hands and "cheat sheets" below every single video.
If you're serious about taking your poker game to the next level, enroll today.
Get $100 OFF Use Code: 100OFF
Notice the Signs of Tilt
If I notice signs of tilt or bad play then I know that I need to dig deeper and determine why this is happening. Maybe I am even getting outplayed by better competition.
You have to be humble in poker and always include this as a possibility.
However, if I see that the odds/math were in my favour in most of the hands (and therefore they were simply bad beats), then I can live with this and move on.
And the reason why is because poker is a game built around mathematics. Bad poker players can only fight the math for so long (get it in with the worst hand) before it comes back to bite them.
If I can determine that most of my significant losing poker hands were simply due to bad luck (the odds were in my favour like in the hand above), then I know I have nothing to worry about.
This is just how poker goes sometimes.
By the way PokerTracker is not the only poker software tool I use to help me as a poker pro. For the complete list of everything I use, click here.
My Free Poker Cheat Sheet Teaches You How to Make $1000+ Per Month in Low Stakes Games
Are you struggling to beat low stakes poker games like 2NL, 5NL, 10NL, 25NL online or $1/$2, $2/$5 live?
Do you want a simple step by step guide to show you exactly how to start winning consistently right now?
That is why I recently wrote this free little 50 page no BS guide to teach you exactly how to start crushing these games right now.
You will learn the exact poker strategies I have used as a 10+ year poker pro to consistently make $1000+ per month in small stakes poker games.
Enter your details below and I will send my free poker cheat sheet to your email right now.
How Poker Pros Deal With a Bad Luck Streak - Use it to Improve
So having dealt with multiple horrendous downswings in my poker career (bad luck for 100k+ hands in a row), I have had a lot of time to reflect on this.
I have come to the conclusion that the best thing that I can do (for me personally) is to take a step back when these unlucky streaks hit.
This doesn't mean that I stop playing poker entirely, it just means that I don't try to force it. Many times I will just quit after 20 minutes if I see the bad luck coming again.
If I know that my mind is not in the right place then I will not try to "play through it" like many other poker pros will tell you. I think that is silly because most people play poorly when running bad.
Ask yourself why would you want to put in MORE hours at the poker table when you are probably not playing your best and not thinking clearly (and possibly on tilt as well)?
It makes no sense. This is why I always recommend playing monster sessions when you are running good and the cards are all falling your way.
That is the time to grind and put in the work. When you are feeling good and playing your best.
So if I am not playing poker as much during a bad luck streak then what exactly am I doing? Simple, this is the time where I do most of my study.
This is when I am studying advanced poker courses, reading poker books, analyzing countless hands and running filters in PokerTracker, and sometimes even hiring a coach.
Essentially, this is the time where I am improving my poker game and getting better. If the cards are absolutely going to kill me every time I sit down to play, then screw it!
This is the time when I am studying my opponents and learning the skills to crush them when I finally start running well again.
Bottom line: Don't try to force your way through a bad luck streak. Yes, you should still try to play. But if it isn't working quit and use this time to improve your poker game instead.
Get Away From the Game!
The next thing that I believe is extremely important when you are in a bad luck streak in poker is to just get away from the game completely sometimes.
If you are always thinking about the game then the losses and the bad beats are going to start to eat away at you. This is why it is important to do things completely unrelated to poker.
For me personally, if you read this blog or follow me on Instagram, then you already know that fitness is a big part of my life.
I also travel a lot. In the past few years alone I have been to at least 10 different countries mostly in Asia. I am also really into water sports like surfing, wake boarding and diving.
Now I know that fitness and travel are not for everybody so this is why you need to find out what keeps you occupied and gets your mind off the game when you are on a bad luck streak.
Maybe you like fixing cars, playing tennis, volunteering, salsa dancing, playing with your kids, investing, video games or just having a Netflix and chill night.
I don't know! But you do!
The important part is to keep your mind occupied during these bad luck streaks in poker. They are simply a part of the game that nobody can avoid.
You have to get your head out of the game sometimes. This is why I also recommend that most of your best friends are non-poker.
Again, this goes against what most poker pros will tell you.
But for me personally, most of my best friends know nothing about poker and therefore when I hang out with them, the topic never comes up.
If you are hanging out with other poker players all the time, then it becomes impossible to avoid discussing the game and dwelling on your current bad luck streak.
This is something that I actually talk about in Crushing the Microstakes.
I have some of the highest winnings in online poker history at the micro stakes. But the amount of bad beats you take at these limits is absolutely crazy sometimes (due to all the bad players).
So early on in my career as a poker pro I really had to learn how to step away from the game sometimes and just take a breather.
Final Thoughts
So how do poker pros deal with a bad luck streak? Well, there are many ways.
Firstly, you need to remember that poker is a game based around mathematics and odds. You cannot "fight the math" like recreational players do over the long run and expect to win.
So when you are on an unlucky streak in poker one of the best things you can do is analyze your biggest losing hands and find out if you are losing due to bad luck or bad play.
If it's just a long list of bad beats and coolers then you really have nothing to worry about. As long as you keep getting the money in good most of the time in poker, you will win in the end.
Secondly, I like to use bad luck streaks in poker as a time to improve my game, study my opponents and create the strategies to crush them when my luck turns back to normal.
Lastly, let's face it, downswings suck. There is no other way around it. You are going to feel depressed and even feel completely hopeless at times. Believe me, it's normal.
This is why it is important to have outlets and things to do which are completely unrelated to poker. Also, I would highly recommend that you try to make friends with more people who do not play poker.
If you want to know how to start consistently making $1000+ per month in low stakes games, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
---
Let me know in the comments below what you do during a bad luck streak in poker. Do you have any tips for handling them better?
