A poker player can sit down at a table with all the right ingredients, a weak table, the correct stack, feeling good and go onto play a perfect game, yet still lose. Why is this? Well you will soon get around to the term variance; let’s take a look at variance in a bit more detail and how it will affect your play, and more importantly how to overcome it.

At some points it may seem like you are losing hand after hand after hand, to bad beats. This may be the case, but a winning poker player is usually defined by how they deal with this variance.

Cash or tournament grinders will come across terrible variance. Income in poker is not made in an hour, day or week and instead is made in the long run; you need to expect to get unlucky at points. If you go into a game thinking that your hands are unbeatable then you will leave yourself open for ‘tilting’. You do not want to do this, think about it logically, your Aces are going to get turned by suited connectors 1 in 5 times.

You will not know what player you are until you take your first big bad beat, only then will you understand what type of player you are. One thing you must remember is WANT to be getting your chips in with an 80% advantage, even if it does not seem like it when you lose.  

When you come across your first bad beat how do you act? Do you get on with your regular play, with no variations? Do you ‘blow up,’ totally change your play and tilt? If you are the later, then you need to look at changing your play, as you will not become a successful poker player. The best way to combat this is to take a step back, and think about it logically. If you get knocked out of a tournament, take a 10 minute break, if you are playing cash, sit out for a while. If you are a grinder, it is more than likely you will be strong enough to forget about this bad beat instantly. If you have the correct bankroll management, then it should not be much of a blow to you. Try not to over think things and just get on with your play.

A truly skilled player will not let variance affect them at all. Take a look at Phil Hellmuth, many poker players will know of his now famous blow up’s to sick beats in serious tournaments. However if you follow on what happens afterwards, on the times he is not eliminated, he does not change his play, he sticks to the same game plan. Phil Hellmuth’s ‘blow up’ are his tension release, other players will have different methods, but whatever you have to do, do not let variance affect your play.

The skill component needs time to manifest itself; your poker bankroll needs to be large enough to withstand the worst of swings.

One of the most heated discussions at the poker table is how much luck plays a part in poker. Some say it poker is 100% luck... WRONG! Others say that there is no luck involved in the long run. These players have a case, if you play 100,000 hands at a high standard; the element of luck is all but eliminated. Yes you will run bad, and get unlucky, but over the 100,000 hands it will eliminate itself, leaving your skill to be the decisive factor.

Remember one thing; you will remember the bad beats you receive more than the bad beats you give out. Do not always think it is always you that gets the bad luck, this will crush you, if you think it is me and only me, then it WILL affect your play.

With variance the number one tip is to NEVER try and re-coup your losses by playing higher stakes. If anything you should look to lower your stakes, if you need more information on this see our bankroll management section.