A Positive Attitude Can Make a Difference
By Debbie Burkhead

I will be the first to admit that's it's not always easy to enter tournament after tournament, not finish in the money and keep a positive attitude. I will also attest to the fact that bad beats are stressful and not easy to swallow. But your attitude can make a difference.

Let me explain.

I play a lot of tournament poker and I don't let the element of luck and bad beats get me down. If I did, it would interfere with the overall outcome of my tournament play. In live action, if you take a bad beat or just plain get unlucky (therefore causing you to go on tilt), you can always take a walk to cool off, buy more chips or simply quit for that session. Not so in a tournament (except of course rebuy tournaments). You have to keep you emotions in check at all times.

If you can't shake off the bad beats, they will eventually effect your play. The more you obsess over a bad beat, the less you will be able to concentrate on the next hand. When you experience a bad beat, take a deep breath, try to be as gracious as possible and most importantly don't show a defeated attitude. A defeated attitude puts you at a big disadvantage. Your opponents will pick up on that and use it in their favor.

When you show a negative attitude, you set yourself up for more defeat. Players who possess a positive attitude play better. It took me a while to fully understand this concept. I started to notice that when I acted dejected or complained about the bad luck I was having, I didn't play up to my normal standards. So I've learn to forget about the previous hand and play the next hand the same way I would if I hadn't just taken a bad beat. This takes practice, keep telling yourself, "it will get better." Even if it doesn't, you won't be giving the impression of defeat before it actually happens.

If I see a player who is upset from the previous hand and I get involved in a hand with him I will take advantage of his mindset at that moment. His emotions are still visibly noticeable and most likely he is not thinking logically, maybe even gun shy. If you play him aggressively you may get him to lay down his hand from fear of losing another one. Think about it, if you can do that to him then it can be done to you.

There is no cure for bad beats or bad luck but with a positive attitude it might make them less stressful. The players around you will not be able to take advantage of those bad beats if they see it is not effecting your play. Staying emotionally upset over a bad beat will cloud your thinking and possibly cause you to miss important tells about your opponents.

The emotions you want to avoid are obvious signs of agitation, aggravation, irritation and looks of defeat or dejection. Avoid negativity, stay clear of showing emotion and keep your cool after a bad beat.

The emotions you want to project are that of confidence, assurance and maybe most of all determination. Keep the faith, play with confidence, show assurance and be positive.

Now go out there and show'em you can play poker!