Poker Losing Streaks and How to Deal with Them

Poker is a great game. It's fascinating and fun. And it offers benefits that not a lot of other games have - an opportunity to win real money.

But no one wins all the time. Eventually you will lose a game - or two or three, or several in a row. Before you know it, you're on a losing streak. How do you deal with it? And what can you do to get out of it as soon as possible? Here are a few ideas and suggestions.

First, remember that it's in the odds. Whether you lose because you made a mistake, or because that's the way luck goes, it's inevitable: No one wins all the time. If you play poker long enough, eventually you will have a losing streak.

Keep records of as many hands as you can, including how both you and your opponents played them. Sometimes analyzing hands can help you understand what went wrong.

Even if you're keeping records, don't dwell on the past - you may start feeling angry and end up demoralized over things you can't change. Do your best to just learn and move on.

Keep learning. It's easy to stop studying poker when you're winning. Maybe there's a little voice inside your head that says "You're winning, so you must already know everything; you don't need to do any studying." But that's not true. Continuing to read and talk to others about poker will not only help you explore other strategies, it'll prepare you for situations you haven't yet encountered - and that can help you stay a winner longer.

If you've been playing the same kind of poker all the time, maybe it's time for a change of pace. Consider trying a different game, for example, Five Card Draw instead of Hold 'Em. You'll be forced to learn to play differently - and that's a good thing, whether or not you're on a losing streak.

Are you playing a lot when you're distracted? Are your poker sessions too long (a real danger in online poker, where there are games available 24 hours a day), and you're tired because you don't know when to quit? Whatever the reason, if you're not very focused, your judgment could be off, and a losing streak could result. Take steps to correct the situation.

And finally - maybe it really is time for a break. It doesn't necessarily have to be a long one. But maybe time away from the poker table will help you be more objective.

Losing is a fact of life, in poker and everything else. We all deal with it differently. When it comes to poker losing streaks, the more objective you stay the better off you'll be. You'll be more motivated to improve your game - and you'll be back to winning that much faster.

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