Poker Portal

One of the biggest obstacles for many people to overcome when they play poker or think about playing poker at a higher level is overcoming the shocks to the system that you encounter when you suffer bad beats and outdraws for money that you perceive to be substantial. If you are not used to this process and the experience of getting smacked hard in a big pot then you will suffer as a poker player. Seasoned players are used to this and ride the blows.

However I often tell people that this experience is a little bit like boxing. You would never make it as a boxer if the shock of being hit sent you back into your shell or you capitulated with the first punch that landed on you. It is inconceivable and even impossible for boxers at any level to escape taking punches and this applies irrespective of how successful they are. Even when you win a fight then you have still taken many punches and some huge punches that may have stunned you. But all boxers accept that getting hit is part and parcel of the game.

But many people are not used to getting hit and this can cause such a shock to the system that it can lead to a type of paralysis with some people. This is an excellent analogy with poker because in poker then you will get hit and hit and punched very hard. This will not happen in a physical sense of course just in a financial one. If you have suffered a huge outdraw against you and you are feeling slightly stunned and a little confused then the chances are that you are not experienced in this part of the game.

Financial losses can hurt and stun you just as much as physical punches can in a real fight and it is only when you have experienced this that you will know what I am talking about. If you are playing stakes that are simply so low that whatever happens to you that you will not feel the effect of it then you may not understand what I am trying to say here. Also limit players may not understand either but in no-limit then you can lose a lot of big blinds in the blink of an eye.

Only yesterday I got all in for 200 big blinds with AA vs AK and my opponent hit a king on the flop and one of his two remaining kings on the river. These are bad events when they happen and they come out of nowhere which makes it worse for many people. There is no warning and so you simply cannot prepare. It is a simple case of you seeing the cards pre-flop and in this case AA vs AK and it is like…..BANG…BANG….BANG and the flop has arrived and in one second flat the turn and river card have been dealt and you have lost a pot in which you were already counting the money.

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