One of the great truisms of poker is that you cannot be a winning player all the time. You can play great poker all the time, but occasionally, the whims of fate will conspire against you and you’ll still end up on the losing end of a hand you’ll feel you should have won.
When this happens over a sustained period of time, it’s called a bad beat and it happens to all players. At this time there are two things that can take a severe knocking:
- The first is your account balance (as you don’t have any winnings coming in).
- The second is your confidence.
So, what can you do in the middle of a losing run to help you reverse the trend and get you back winning again, especially if you are down to your last few pounds in your account and lacking the confidence that you can rebuild your fortunes?
It is in situations like this that using the different options available on a site like Bet365 Poker can come to your rescue. And by targeting the right games – and avoiding those that offer less chance of success – you can put an end to your losing streak and start to rebuild your confidence in yourself as a player.
Let’s take a look at some things you can do to get your poker mojo back and begin seeing your bankroll grow, too.
Of course, we are referencing specific games on Bet365 Poker, so you might want to sign up so you can follow our tips. Doing so is a snap and new players have the added benefit of a Bet365 Poker free welcome bankroll – a great way to get started without laying out much cash.
Five tips to rebuild your self-assurance and bankroll
5. Scale down your buy in levels
When you are losing money, it’s tempting to raise the stakes to recoup it as quickly as possible.
This can work, but it is a very risky strategy. Instead, preserve your cash and play lower stakes games to eke out your bankroll for longer and when your fortunes improve, then you can move back up to higher levels.
4. Play the percentages: play more tight/aggressive poker
There is a reason that experts state that the most successful players play tight/aggressive poker more often than any other style.
That’s because this is the combination in which the odds of success work more in your favour. If you are losing too many hands, it could be because you are playing too many hands. Reduce the hands you play down to those that offer you the best chance of success and correspondingly, your chances of success will increase.
3. Don’t chase your losses
If you’ve lost half your balance, don’t be tempted to risk all that remains to try and win it back.
Chasing your losses, especially in the middle of a bad beat, is a recipe for one thing alone – busting out. Don’t up the stakes of the games you play to offset losses, move down the scale as we suggested in point one and you don’t run the risk of spectacular failure and you give yourself time and increased opportunity to turn your poor run of form at the poker table around.
2. Change the game
If you are stuck in a rut then have you considered that a change of scenery may bring about a change in luck. If you are having no luck at the Hold’em tables, then why not try your hand at a new game like 5 or 7 Card stud?
These games offer less volatility than Texas Hold’em and a new focus on a new game can sometimes bring about a change in fortune for the positive.
1. Review your play: is it bad luck or bad play causing your poor run?
All too often novice to intermediate players will state they are on a bad run of luck at the tables when a quick review of their past performance reveals that they are not playing the game very well at all. If you are contesting too many hands, bluffing too often, bluffing at the wrong time, raising when out of position and generally playing risky poker, then this is as much a contributory factor to your declining fortunes as luck.
Always take time to review your play and you’ll often find what you put down as bad luck is actually nothing more than just poor play. Eradicate this from your game and you’ll find your fortunes change quickly.
In addition to following these tips, you can also improve your chances of success by opting to play in certain types of game on Bet365 Poker. Outlined below are three games and rooms we think are ideal for a player to rebuild their bankroll and gain confidence, as well as three games and rooms which we feel should be avoided until you have got back to winning ways.
We’ll explain the reasons behind each selection on the list below.
Three Bet365 Poker games and rooms to target
3. Sit & Go Double Up games
If you want to give yourself the best chance of success, play the games with the best chance of a payout. Sit & Go Double Up games on Bet365 pay out double your stake to 50% of the players at the table.
They are quick to play, cheap to enter and offer a far better chance of a positive return, especially if you get back to playing your best poker.
2. Small MTTs & freerolls
If you are hemorrhaging cash, then take every available opportunity to play in a freeroll you can. At least this way your bad luck or bad play isn’t affecting your bankroll and if you hit some form, you stand a chance of at least winning some cash back.
Small MTTs (say of up to 50 players) with micro stakes buy ins are also worth targeting.
1. Twister Poker
Twister Poker is a fantastic game to rebuild shattered confidence. You have few chips, but only two randomly selected opponents and the chance to win pup to 1000 times your stake money back.
With games starting at just $1, this is a great way to play and give yourself a winning feeling once again.
Three Bet365 Poker games and rooms to avoid
3. Jackpot Sit & Go games
The reason we’d avoid Jackpot Sit & Go games is that because of the Jackpot incentive, this does tend to attract some of the stronger players on Bet365 Poker into these tournaments. The standard of play in these events, even for those with smaller prizes, is generally more advanced than other tables.
For a player with limited funds and lacking confidence, it can be a tough place to try and improve both these aspects of your game.
2. Big MTTs
Common sense dictates that if you enter an MTT with 100 people, even if every player had the same level of skill, you’d have a 1 in 100 chance of success. Even if there are 10 cash prize, or 20, you still have 1 in 10 or 1 in 5 chance of winning a prize. That’s not great odds if you are going to be using the last of your cash available to enter a big MTT.
1. Higher stakes Sit & Go and cash table games
If you are £50 down, it’s tempting to think that playing a £50 double your money game can resolve the issue quickly, It can but at this level, you’ll find that the players wagering this cash are generally very good. If your luck is out and you are not playing well, then do you really want to be risking far more than you ordinarily would to recoup your losses?
Avoid the bigger money cash tables and the promise of a quick fix as more likely will be that you simply add to your losses at an increasingly quicker rate.
It’s never nice to suffer a bad beat in poker, but on Bet365 Poker you can take active, common sense steps to help you break the bad run and start putting your confidence and your balance back into the positive.
Hopefully the tips outlined above will help you achieve this, if you ever should need it.
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