Advanced Holdem

Adjusting Your Game After A Big Pot

If you play no limit Texas hold’em, you can be sure that eventually you will be involved in a big pot. A pot in poker is like a battle in a war that lasts for the entire session, and in a larger sense, throughout your poker life. How you handle these battles will go a long way in determining the outcome of the larger conflict.

Adjusting After Losing a Big Pot

Losing a big pot in Texas hold’em is difficult. It can be a big blow, both emotionally and financially. However, if you still have chips left after losing your big pot, you’re going to need to pull yourself together. Emotional tilt is your greatest enemy at the poker table. If you cannot clear your head, focus and go back to playing good poker, it’s time to quit.

A desperate attempt to regain what you have lost will usually result in losing more. Step away from the table and assess. If you think you can continue to play well, continue. If not, leave the poker for another day or another time.

Adjusting After Winning a Big Pot

Your situation after winning a big pot is much more favorable, however, it is still fraught with danger. Players have a tendency to feel invincible after winning a big pot. You run the risk of entering many pots with reckless abandon, bluffing when you shouldn’t and chasing when it’s incorrect to do so.

Before you know it, you could find your big win has evaporated. You may then play recklessly in an effort to get back what you lost and end up with a big losing day, which would be truly disastrous. When you win a big pot, it’s still not a bad idea to step away from the table and take a breath. Ask yourself if it makes sense to continue.

If it does, monitor yourself for the next few hands and make sure you are playing at the same level you were before. If you are, great, try to win as much as you can. If not, it’s time to book your win for the day.