When Losing in Poker Hurts
Any strivings to win will eventually get to the emotions, more so with any form of gambling. Gambling is a desire to win. No matter how intellectual we may approach a poker game, there's always an amount of emotion involved when something is at stake for winning. Once a desire to win creeps into one's system, emotions can start making its presence felt---at times, very strongly. So the thing is to watch hurt emotions in poker.
Emotions are normal in poker, especially when the thrill gets to a climax. Who wouldn't exult at the prospect of raking in a big pot? And who wouldn't grieve big losses? But one of the things to watch out for is how one reacts when losing, especially losing several rounds in a row. Let's face it: nothing's definite in poker games. Winning and losing are both a constant possibility. We may be aiming for more wins in poker games, but (listen to this) it's the attitude in losing that we should always study closely---this is where we get real breakthroughs to keep playing poker the best way.
Remember that losing in poker hurts, and this kind of emotion is what we should try to master. When such emotion gets the better of us, it can affect our focus on a strategy and mess everything up in the end. We accept the fact that sometimes, somewhere along the way, losing in poker hurts, especially when we have been losing quite a sum of money. The first few losses may be nothing, but several ones in a row is something else. Our tendency is to offset the losses and desire (or be too obsessed with having) too much to win. When such desire occurs, beware because it's the time when losing in poker hurts, and hurts quite badly that our sensibilities are affected negatively.
So the first thing here is to release negative poker emotions. Be rational and think that poker is a gambling game---everybody wins and loses here. It's not due to some bad luck or an unfair poker system online, or that someone is cheating. Don't let the mind begin to think that life's unfair---or any of that stuff. Remember that the hurt feeling is due to a wounded ego.
Finally, never, ever gamble with money allocated for some other expense. Poker becomes a relaxing hobby when there's money allotted for it. The emotions are kept stable, even when losing in poker hurts.