The Pitfalls Of Running Bad

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Last issue I discussed five ways that running particularly good for a while can negatively affect your play. In this article, I’ll talk about how running bad for a prolonged period of time can get in your head and have you making bad decisions.

Running bad is the boogeyman for every poker player. There’s nothing more frustrating than doing everything “right” and yet still losing session after session. If you aren’t vigilant, running bad can set off a vicious cycle. You run bad for a while, which causes you to start playing badly, which then prolongs your poor run of results. Here are five pitfalls to avoid during your next bad run.

Losing Aggressiveness

Aggressive play is the key to winning poker. Finding the right bluffs and the smart value bets sets good players apart from mediocre ones. When you run bad, however, your aggressive edge can be the first thing to go. After all, none of your bluffs has worked in two days, so why burn chips trying another one? Or every time you make a decent hand, an opponent seems to show up eventually with the nuts. So why bother betting your hand for value?

When you’re beaten down and nothing is working, it’s easy to lose the nerve to bet and raise with anything but lock hands. If you notice that you’re becoming too scared to make aggressive plays you’d normally make, try one of two remedies. You can try taking a few extra seconds on these decisions and talk yourself into putting your chips in the middle. Failing that, you can take a break and analyze some hands away from the table. Reviewing the mathematical basis for an aggressive play can motivate you to make it the next time even if things haven’t been working recently.

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