Playing better than your opponents but still losing

Nothing is worse in poker than playing better than your opponents and forcing them to make big mistakes. However, the crappy thing is when they get their money in bad and they suck out on you somehow. On the other hand, long-term variance dictates that those who constantly need to get it in bad to win is a losing player in the long run. So while short-term variance may not necessarily be in your favor, it's not the end of the world. Just know that there is no need to sulk and pout over a bad beat. After all, a bad beat by its very simple definition is when you lose a hand after getting your money in as the clear favorite. There's no need to complain and rant in the chat box about how your opponents sucked out on you, because all you have to tell yourself is that you got it in good which is what you want long-term. Long-term success is achieved by forgetting and putting behind your short-term misfortunes. One of the most important things I've learned playing poker is that it's more important to be process-oriented rather than results-oriented. As long as you go through the right process to give yourself the best chance to succeed long-term, you will succeed eventually. Even when things aren't going your way, you still have to believe that your fortunes will improve. It's all about positive thinking. The journey is just as important as the destination.

cant agree more with you my friend.its the right opinion.it may sound hard or difficult because of the probable wait for the good results.though i belong to these who get dissapointed after some consecative bad beats,in the end of the day i think of these you refer to in your post...

Very nice, coerent and truly text. This is a point that beginners don't understand.

You can play a hand perfectly and still loose and/or you can play it the worst posible way and still win, variance in poker in the short term is just ridiculous, lets just let it be, focus on long term.

Yep, all you can do is try and play each hand as perfectly as you can. Then you let the chips fall where they may.

The problem often arises, however, where players think they have played a spot really well, but they have unconscious incompetence. As such they do not realise that their play was sub optimal. The player then cannot understand why they are playing perfectly (in their mind at least), but are not turning a profit long term. This is why constant learning is essential to your development as a winning player.

You all don't forget those players that will not fold if they hit anything on the flop, and call you all the way down. And like you say they suck out. But the good part of it is that they will still have that 66 and I will have their money in the end. I've read somewhere that you should love those players, and not call them some of the table names. Keep them around. GL to you

All you can do is make what are the long-term correct decisions in the long run and that's it. Everything else is beyond the boundaries of your control. Good players define a successful session as one where they make good long-term plays. They aren't result-oriented but they are process-oriented. That's how I approach each session.