The rivercard

I hear a lot of people complain about the the rivercard. How they lost on the river ( I got rivered) and always get outdrawn. Calling Pokerstars ‘Riverstars’ and the other player a riverrat or worse for chasing! This is what I think about it.

Everybody knows Texas Hold Em No Limit is played with 5 cards on the board if at least someone calls or everybody checks. If a player calls then there will be other cards on the board that all players can use. Those cards can give one of your opponents the best hand. Some people are surprised that this can happen and start complaining about their opponents play. Especially when someone else wins with the rivercard they are amazed by their opponents awful play and start to call him names.

I’ve got no respect whatsoever for someone who complains all day every week about how the rivercard beat him. If not for the first ten times you don’t understand that a rivercard can beat you then you need to lose a 100 times. Everyone has his own playing style. Everyone plays different. They won’t do the things you want them to do, they will do the opposite. And there are no bad plays, but I agree that there are bad players. But in my book bad players are people who can’t handle a loss and start complaining.

You may lose more often after a river but that’s logical, there are 9 players at a table. If you play like you should then the total amount you won making the best hand on the river should be as much as your losses on that same river. It’s all statistics and if you’re a good player you would even win more money by your betting syle.

Next time if you get beat on the river don’t blame someone else or the cards, blame yourself for betting too much or for playing your hand wrong. You’re the one fully responsible for everything you do. You don’t have to go All In or call an All In. Always keep all the possibilities open and take them into consideration when making a move. Getting beat or win ont the river is no shame and it certainly is no shame to chase. A chaser always risks his chips by calling bets. If he gets rewarded on the river, he gets insulted as if it is not a part of poker. If you get beat by the rivercard accept it, let it go and move on. It’s all part of the game. Adjust your playing style so it doesn’t happen too often. Include all possibilities and be careful.

Very good post Kaart...I agree wholehartedly. When one looks at odds on making their hand with two cards to come...it is not the odds for two cards to come but it has to be made on the first card....you do get two chances for those odds.