A bad beat is when you lose a hand where you were a big favorite, because your opponent hit a lucky card on the turn or river. You played the hand well; the cards simply went against you.
Bad beat examples
- All-in with AA against KK preflop, and a king comes on the river. AA was about an 81% favorite.
- Your set of queens loses to a runner-runner flush.
- You call an all-in with top pair, top kicker against a gutshot, and the gutshot hits.
How often do favorites lose?
More often than it feels. An 80% favorite loses one time in five. An all-in where you are a 95% favorite still loses one in twenty. Over thousands of hands, you will see many bad beats; they are part of the reason weaker players keep playing, and so part of the reason poker is profitable.
Bad beat jackpots
Many casinos run a bad beat jackpot: a prize paid when a very strong hand, often four of a kind or a high full house, loses at showdown. It is funded by a small drop from every raked pot, which adds to the cost of rake.
Bad beat vs cooler
A cooler is when two strong hands collide and the slightly weaker one loses. A bad beat is when the loser was well ahead when the money went in.
How to handle a bad beat
Remember that you made money on the decision. Take a break if you need one so it does not turn into tilt. Check the real odds in the poker odds calculator. More terms in the poker glossary.