The Pitfalls Of Running Good

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I’ve always thought that one of the worst things that can happen to new poker players is for them to run really good right out of the gate. If they rack up a number of big wins early on, a couple of bad things can happen. First, they get unrealistic expectations about the game. They think winning comes easy, and they think solid strategy is much simpler than it really is. This may cause them to ignore sound advice, and it can also make the inevitable bad runs that much harder to take. Second, they reinforce bad habits. As long as they’re winning, whatever they’re doing must be right, right?

People talk a lot about how to handle bad runs, but I think learning to avoid the pitfalls of running good is just as important. During good runs we often pick up bad habits and allow ourselves to get careless. These tendencies come back to haunt us over the long term. I’ve identified five pitfalls of running good that you should look to avoid the next time the cards smile consistently on you.

Entering Unprofitable Pots

This one is simple and, I think, nearly universal. Almost everyone who runs good for an extended period of time begins to loosen up. In more sober times we’d perhaps know to fold K 9 from five off the button. But in our manic state this hand begins to look like just another opportunity to drag a huge pot. We loosen up by opening more pots from out of position, and we loosen up by calling more raises, both in and out of position. These subtle adjustments will prove to be costly over time.

If you’ve been running good, allow yourself an extra second to make preflop decisions. If you see a hand that looks playable, don’t just toss your money in. Think about whether this hand fits in well with your overall game plan. Don’t play the hand just because you’re a little more excited to see a flop than usual.

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