According to the dictionary, luck is “the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual”. Anyone who has gambled or played poker knows luck is a part of the game that cannot be quantified. When playing a game that has elements of both skill and luck such as poker it is important for players to get their chips in while they are ahead. From a mathematical perspective this will be when you are more likely to win. However there is always a chance that you get beat on the river. Everyone has had that happen to them or done that to another player at some point.

 

Some players feel like they lose no matter what. You can walk into any card room in Las Vegas and hear a player recant how snakebit they are when it comes to poker. Not everyone is on the short end though. You probably have a friend or two who always seems to have good things happen to them. Buying scratch off lotto tickets is like printing money for these folks. For most everyone the amount of luck they have is probably equal. You only remember the bad beats or big winning hands more because they stand out. When you play thousands of hands it can be hard to distinguish them, but when someone gets incredibly lucky to win or lose, that makes it memorable.

 

Luck cannot be taken out of poker. No matter how strong a hand is, until the river card is dealt you can still lose. Take comfort in the fact you got your chips in while you had the lead and your opponent was the one drawing and hoping for improvement. Do your best to avoid going on tilt if you lose a hand where you were the massive favorite. Keep working and improving and you will find that over the long term you come out ahead. Always remember what Thomas Jefferson said, “The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have”.