And the reason why is because these are the types of players who are known to play all sorts of hands and chase every ridiculous draw. Therefore, when they are hot, it is going to seem like they are playing the game in god-mode to you.
I know that this can be a very difficult thing to deal with especially for newer and inexperienced poker players. So in this article I am going to tell you how I learned to deal with people who keep getting lucky against me at the poker tables.
By the way, if you're new to poker and you just want to learn my simple system for exactly what hands to play, grab my free poker cheat sheet.
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First off, what does it even mean to “get lucky” really? Well, essentially it means that somebody keeps winning when the mathematical odds were not on their side.
Here is an example of a bad poker player who got extremely lucky against me:
So in addition to crazy hands like this, they keep hitting that flush draw on the river for example against your top pair.
But remember, a flush draw only has about a 30% chance to win the pot. There are only 9 cards remaining in the deck that can help them win after all.
So let’s break it down even further then.
What we are really talking about when we say that somebody keeps getting lucky is that they play bad. And this is because no good poker player would ever keep putting their money in the pot with a 30% chance to win.
But the main reason why poker is so profitable is because while you might hit some lucky cards in the short term, you cannot fight the math and expect to win over the long run.
Math always wins in the end. And therefore, by playing bad, they lose.
They Are Getting Lucky For a Reason
First off, what does it even mean to “get lucky” really? Well, essentially it means that somebody keeps winning when the mathematical odds were not on their side.
Here is an example of a bad poker player who got extremely lucky against me:
So in addition to crazy hands like this, they keep hitting that flush draw on the river for example against your top pair.
But remember, a flush draw only has about a 30% chance to win the pot. There are only 9 cards remaining in the deck that can help them win after all.
So let’s break it down even further then.
What we are really talking about when we say that somebody keeps getting lucky is that they play bad. And this is because no good poker player would ever keep putting their money in the pot with a 30% chance to win.
But the main reason why poker is so profitable is because while you might hit some lucky cards in the short term, you cannot fight the math and expect to win over the long run.
Math always wins in the end. And therefore, by playing bad, they lose.
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So you should actually be happy that you have people in your game who are willing to just give their money away to you like this over the long run. While they might get lucky against you today, they are really just handing their money away to you over the weeks, months and years to follow.
And this is why it is really important not to personalize it against these players. What I mean by this is don’t focus on this individual player. You should focus on the entire mass of bad poker players who like to get their money in with 30% equity instead.
Here is another example of a lucky fish (don't personalize it!):
Because here’s the thing. It is quite possible that this fish keeps getting lucky against you all day today and keeps nailing his miracles on the river every time. And it is also quite possible that you will never see him again.
But as long as you are table selecting properly, there will always be another bonehead like this who will take his seat next time. Chances are, that guy won’t get quite so lucky against you.
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Do you want a simple step by step guide to show you exactly how to start winning consistently right now?
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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.
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Another strategy is to think about poker like Las Vegas does with their gambling games like roulette, craps, slots etc. All of these games are basically unbeatable.
The house has a very small but clear mathematical edge which you will not win against in the long run.
This is why they still say goodbye to you with a smile even when you buck the odds and take their money. It doesn’t matter to them because there are 40 million more tourists that will fly in each year and eventually the math will win out in their favour in the end.
Don’t take it personal against this one particular goofball at the poker table who keeps getting lucky against you again and again. View bad poker players as one large school of fish instead.
One of them might get lucky against you today, but if you use a solid winning strategy against them again and again, then you will always be the one laughing over the weeks, months and years to follow.
And that of course is all that really matters.
So we have already talked about how getting lucky really just translates to playing bad. And also how you need to view these bad poker players from a broader perspective.
But I get it, believe me I do.
It is not always easy to keep your cool in the heat of the moment when somebody is getting lucky against you at the poker table again and again. We do tend to take it personal and get pissed off. It's natural and it's human.
I think this can be even harder to deal with in live poker because you have to look at this clown sitting across the table from you raking in your chips again and again.
But what you have to remember here is that by reacting with emotions like anger or frustration, which will potentially put you on tilt and cause you to start playing badly, all you are really doing is playing into their hands even more.
You are taking a situation which sucks, but isn't the end of the world, and turning it into a potential disaster where you are just spewing off stack after stack to this luckbox. These are losses by the way which might take weeks or even months to fully recover from.
As difficult as it might seem in the moment, this is the time to show what a true professional you are, take a deep breath and control your emotions.
If you feel yourself getting a little hot under the collar, then there is absolutely no shame in just standing up from the table and taking a break or even leaving completely for the day.
Whatever you do, when somebody gets lucky against you at the poker table again and again, don’t react with anger and frustration. The only one who loses from it is you.
The other important thing to avoid in a situation like this is changing your game and playing scared. And believe me once again, I know the feeling all too well.
I often call it “skeletons in the closet” syndrome. This means that you are constantly thinking that you are beat even before you play a hand.
This can cause you to play sub-optimally in many situations. For instance you might start limping with a hand as strong as AK or just check/calling with a strong over pair after the flop like QQ.
By reacting like this though you are also playing right into their hands. Because just like with tilt, you are willfully throwing away even more money to them which has nothing to do with bad luck, only bad play on your part.
You know that these are sub-optimal plays which lose money over the long run. Sure, you might psychologically save yourself from losing another big pot if they get lucky again but this defeats the entire purpose of the game.
Winning poker is all about getting the most value with your good hands and losing the least with your bad hands.
This is something that I discuss in much greater detail by the way in my best selling poker book, Crushing the Microstakes.
So limping AK for example or not value betting your QQ can never allow you to get the most value with these hands.
Playing scared like this is actually another form of tilt that rarely gets discussed but it can be just as damaging as the wild bluffs and bad calls that we just talked about above.
It is vital to remember that no matter what happens at the poker table, you need to always keep making the same correct plays again and again. That's how winning is done in this game.
Dealing with somebody at the poker table who keeps getting lucky against you again and again is one of the most difficult things to handle in poker.
After all it doesn’t make any sense at all.
You are the one making all the right plays. They are the suckers putting their money in the middle with bad odds. And yet your “reward” for outplaying them is losing your money!
But this is also the primary reason why this game is so profitable in the first place. These bad poker players need to be able to get lucky every once in awhile or they wouldn’t keep coming back again and again to give their money away.
It is important to remember that even though you are losing to their bad plays, nobody is above the math in poker over the long run. They will pay for it eventually.
This is also why you should avoid making it personal against any one particular bad player. By continuing to use a proven solid winning strategy, you will win in the end when it really matters.
Lastly, it is extremely important that you don’t take the situation from bad to worse by reacting with frustration and unnecessarily tilting off even more money to them. You also need to avoid playing scared and missing out on value because you are afraid to lose.
Lastly, if you want to know how to consistently make $1000+ per month in low stakes poker games, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know in the comments below how you deal with someone who keeps getting lucky against you at the poker table.
Don’t Personalize It
So you should actually be happy that you have people in your game who are willing to just give their money away to you like this over the long run. While they might get lucky against you today, they are really just handing their money away to you over the weeks, months and years to follow.
And this is why it is really important not to personalize it against these players. What I mean by this is don’t focus on this individual player. You should focus on the entire mass of bad poker players who like to get their money in with 30% equity instead.
Here is another example of a lucky fish (don't personalize it!):
Because here’s the thing. It is quite possible that this fish keeps getting lucky against you all day today and keeps nailing his miracles on the river every time. And it is also quite possible that you will never see him again.
But as long as you are table selecting properly, there will always be another bonehead like this who will take his seat next time. Chances are, that guy won’t get quite so lucky against you.
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, low buy-in tournaments 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.
Think Like Las Vegas Does
Another strategy is to think about poker like Las Vegas does with their gambling games like roulette, craps, slots etc. All of these games are basically unbeatable.
The house has a very small but clear mathematical edge which you will not win against in the long run.
This is why they still say goodbye to you with a smile even when you buck the odds and take their money. It doesn’t matter to them because there are 40 million more tourists that will fly in each year and eventually the math will win out in their favour in the end.
Don’t take it personal against this one particular goofball at the poker table who keeps getting lucky against you again and again. View bad poker players as one large school of fish instead.
One of them might get lucky against you today, but if you use a solid winning strategy against them again and again, then you will always be the one laughing over the weeks, months and years to follow.
And that of course is all that really matters.
Don't React With Frustration and Tilt
So we have already talked about how getting lucky really just translates to playing bad. And also how you need to view these bad poker players from a broader perspective.
But I get it, believe me I do.
It is not always easy to keep your cool in the heat of the moment when somebody is getting lucky against you at the poker table again and again. We do tend to take it personal and get pissed off. It's natural and it's human.
I think this can be even harder to deal with in live poker because you have to look at this clown sitting across the table from you raking in your chips again and again.
But what you have to remember here is that by reacting with emotions like anger or frustration, which will potentially put you on tilt and cause you to start playing badly, all you are really doing is playing into their hands even more.
If you start playing more hands for instance, running wild bluffs for no good reason and making that "crying call" even when you know you are beat again, it is only you who pays the price for this.
You are taking a situation which sucks, but isn't the end of the world, and turning it into a potential disaster where you are just spewing off stack after stack to this luckbox. These are losses by the way which might take weeks or even months to fully recover from.
As difficult as it might seem in the moment, this is the time to show what a true professional you are, take a deep breath and control your emotions.
If you feel yourself getting a little hot under the collar, then there is absolutely no shame in just standing up from the table and taking a break or even leaving completely for the day.
Whatever you do, when somebody gets lucky against you at the poker table again and again, don’t react with anger and frustration. The only one who loses from it is you.
Don’t Play Scared
The other important thing to avoid in a situation like this is changing your game and playing scared. And believe me once again, I know the feeling all too well.
I often call it “skeletons in the closet” syndrome. This means that you are constantly thinking that you are beat even before you play a hand.
This can cause you to play sub-optimally in many situations. For instance you might start limping with a hand as strong as AK or just check/calling with a strong over pair after the flop like QQ.
By reacting like this though you are also playing right into their hands. Because just like with tilt, you are willfully throwing away even more money to them which has nothing to do with bad luck, only bad play on your part.
You know that these are sub-optimal plays which lose money over the long run. Sure, you might psychologically save yourself from losing another big pot if they get lucky again but this defeats the entire purpose of the game.
Winning poker is all about getting the most value with your good hands and losing the least with your bad hands.
This is something that I discuss in much greater detail by the way in my best selling poker book, Crushing the Microstakes.
So limping AK for example or not value betting your QQ can never allow you to get the most value with these hands.
Playing scared like this is actually another form of tilt that rarely gets discussed but it can be just as damaging as the wild bluffs and bad calls that we just talked about above.
It is vital to remember that no matter what happens at the poker table, you need to always keep making the same correct plays again and again. That's how winning is done in this game.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with somebody at the poker table who keeps getting lucky against you again and again is one of the most difficult things to handle in poker.
After all it doesn’t make any sense at all.
You are the one making all the right plays. They are the suckers putting their money in the middle with bad odds. And yet your “reward” for outplaying them is losing your money!
But this is also the primary reason why this game is so profitable in the first place. These bad poker players need to be able to get lucky every once in awhile or they wouldn’t keep coming back again and again to give their money away.
It is important to remember that even though you are losing to their bad plays, nobody is above the math in poker over the long run. They will pay for it eventually.
This is also why you should avoid making it personal against any one particular bad player. By continuing to use a proven solid winning strategy, you will win in the end when it really matters.
Lastly, it is extremely important that you don’t take the situation from bad to worse by reacting with frustration and unnecessarily tilting off even more money to them. You also need to avoid playing scared and missing out on value because you are afraid to lose.
Lastly, if you want to know how to consistently make $1000+ per month in low stakes poker games, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know in the comments below how you deal with someone who keeps getting lucky against you at the poker table.
