Players and psychology
Bad beat in poker
Definition
Losing a hand that was a big favourite to win, usually when the opponent hits a long-shot card.
Bad beats are part of variance: a hand that is 90% to win still loses one time in ten. Some rooms pay a bad beat jackpot when a very strong hand, such as quad aces or better, loses.
Accepting bad beats without tilting is a basic skill, since they are the cost of getting your money in with the best of it.
Related terms
- CoolerA situation in which your very strong hand runs into an even stronger one and you could not reasonably have avoided losing.
- TiltAn emotional state, such as anger or frustration, that makes a player take worse decisions than usual.
- VarianceThe swings in results caused by luck, the gap between your expected result and what actually happens in the short term.