So,  our hands that play best in a narrow field get stuck in a multi-way pot,  and that lucky player seems to  “river”  us every time.  If we raise,  it seems he just calls anyway.  What’s a good player to do?  For the players who know the right moves,  we’re left muttering:  “I can’t believe he called me with that!”  as we muck in disgust the hand that looked oh-so-good before the flop.  We’ve all said those words at the poker table to ourselves,  and if you’re a solid Holdem player who knows the odds and right times to raise,  call and fold,  you’ve probably muttered that phrase on more than one occasion in the past couple of years.  What gives?

The dangerous temptation for us when we remember the bad beats is to change playing style before the flop,  calling with more marginal hands and,  even worse,  calling when we should be raising.  Slightly altering one’s style in a very loose game is justifiable,  but making big changes to  “get even”  is a bad move that can wreak some serious havoc on a bankroll.  Instead of exploiting our opponents,  or looking at the big picture,  we remember the bad beats,  which after a while get to any player.  In the loose games which have become quite common at low limit Texas Holdem,  there is always the temptation to just call with anything other then pocket rockets before the flop,  and only then start to bang away after the flop if we hit something good.

It's tempting, but it's a foolish move.  Several articles could be written on this,  but there are two big reasons why you do not want to stop raising just because you are in a loose game that seems to be filled with people playing holdem  “as seen on TV.” Keep these in mind the next time that little voice says:  “Just call here,  because everyone is going to call the raise.”

Reason #1:  Elimination of players.  A key goal of a raise is to get players out of the way who might outdraw you.  This seems impossible to do at times in a loose,  low-limit game.  But not every game at the low limits poker tables is loose,  and even more importantly,  not everyone at the table plays the same way.  You need to spend a good hour at a table before you get a feel for how players play hands  --  very often it may seem like the entire table is loose,  when in fact several players are tight and actually know what hands play best.  Raise with the typical raising hands  (big pairs and big suited connectors).  Take any opportunity to get rid of players.  Even if it’s just one or two players who drop,  that’s one or two players you no longer have to worry will outdraw you because you let them limp with J-9 offsuit.

Reason #2:  Build up the pot. Any gambler knows,  it’s all about the odds.  When the odds are in your favor,  you must take a chance and build up a potential pot for yourself.  In a multi-way pot,  it’s very frustrating to have your pocket queens cracked by 8-6 offsuit who made two pair on the river.  But you must look at the big picture.  If you are in a loose game where people have no problem calling raises with poor hands,  and if you were to play the same hand where you were in front pre-flop 1,000 times,  you would need a laundry bag to carry your money out the door.  If someone is stupid enough to play mediocre hands,  punish him by making him pay to stay involved.  Many hands may do better in a narrow field,  but even when that's not possible the hand you raise with still has the edge.  Sure,  you’ll get outdrawn more often,  but over the long haul,  you’ll come out ahead taking down huge pots thanks to the chump money in the pot.

Remember the “Good Times.”  Finally,  when you do suffer rough beats,  remember the good times,  when you win with a hand that was the favorite against many players who should have folded to you.  Keep asking yourself,  “Would I have played the same way if I knew what he held?”  (This refers to David Sklansky’s fundamental theorem of poker.)  If you are a solid player,  the answer  --  unless you are on tilt  --  is usually yes.  If you had KK and knew your opponent held 7-6 offsuit,  you still would have raised  --  just because he called and got lucky does not mean you played the hand wrong.  Poker games can become very aggravating when we get  “sucked out,”  and it’s easy to go on tilt.  When you feel that about to happen,  take a break from the game;  it’s not going anywhere.  Later, play the hand over in your mind  (or get a hand history if you were in an online poker game).

One reason casinos are in business is because they know the odds:  A slot machine will pay off a $10,000 jackpot every once in a while because a player gets lucky.  Likewise,  you will have to pay off a player who held 6-5 offsuit against your pocket tens every so often  --  but you should welcome such players to your game  (just as the casino welcomes slot players)  because over the long haul you will come out ahead if you continue to play your “A” game against opponents who continually chase.