Bad Streak? Try this
Three of the most frequent occurring badjustables in order to turn a bad streak around: Tighten up your game. The better hands you play the better flops you will get and the more showdowns you will win. It is as simple as that. Many players cannot see the big difference between KQs and AKs because when you hit your flop it will usually be top par anyway.
The percentages of Big Slick
It is not that simple, AKs is at least 50 percent better than KQs because you can be sure that when you do hit it is always top pair with the best kicker. Of course you can still lose the hand but at least you are not close to a guaranteed loss as when you have KQs vs AKs and the flop comes K. That said KQs is a hand you probably have to play unless there has been a raise in front of you.
Evaluate your play post flop. Are you calling too much on a dubious hand? Are you making the correct draws? Or are you just chasing on AJ when the flop came 10-10-2 and the betting was capped on flop? Most experienced players tend to throw their hand away when in doubt about its value after the flop and it is solid advice, especially at a 10 player table.
It can be a bit boring laying down every time you miss the flop, but on a long term basis it is the right thing to do. One reason why you are losing money post flop is staying too long on hands you have raised like AQ or AK. When you miss the flop (you might have bet the flop anyway, it is customary practice) and you have gotten 2 or 3 callers, consider if it is enough for you to win if an A actually do hit on turn or river.
Hard odds against a missed flop
Odds are usually slim when you’ve missed the flop. The fact that you had several callers preflop might indicate that they themselves got big cards, and there might not even be any aces left in the deck for you. You could also be drawing dead against 2 pairs or a set, which needless to say is not an ideal situation. Evaluate the table and the game. Could you be playing a wrong tactic? Is the table one where 70 percent of the players see a flop? In that case you might be able to play even more hands than usual. You might be getting odds to see any pair (if the table is loose but not the kind where every hand gets raised) and you might even be able to play hands like Q10s or 86s when you got position.
Could you be playing too weak when you have the chance to steal blinds? It is a general assumption that if you are in late position with a playable hand and no one yet has called you should raise. This naturally puts pressure on you to play well / aggressive after the flop, but if you have players to your left who are inclined not to defend blinds, it would be outright wrong not to give them a chance to fold.
Be aware of the fact that more players are likely to call -and call you down- when you are on a bad streak, simply because they are not afraid of you. This is worth remembering if you are going to loosen up your game a bit. Most of the time in limit poker you have to show the best hand in the end. You have to show the best hand in the end every time when you are on a losing streak and got no table image.
Danger alerts
Consider if you are in over your head. If you used to win regularly at the 1 $ tables, then maybe things started to go wrong last week when you decided it was time to play 3-6. Every time you step up the stakes you will usually face competition that is around 25 percent better than what you are used to. If you jump from 0.25-0.50 to 2-4 $ you are guaranteed to be up against players who are twice as good as the ones you are used to. What you should do when you used to make 10 $ on average pr hour at 0.5-1 $ but now are losing every time you sit down at 2-4 is pretty obvious. You can afford to see yourself as the shark of 0.5-1, which is a huge morale boost, but it does not help you much if you are the fish of 2-4.
Finally make sure you evaluate your choice in tables. You should prefer tables with a nice blend of good and bad player. It is easy to avoid playing against the good players when you do not have a hand, and it is likewise easy to take on the bad players when you have one. This makes the game a bit simpler. It may sound weird but you should usually be cautious of tables with a majority of bad players. These tables are of course potential gold, but you will often experience strings of weird beats. Needless to say you should make sure you stay away from tables with a lot of good players.