That was sick. What a bad beat, what were you thinking? You have got to be kidding me! This poker website wants the suckers to win.

Does this sound like familiar prose that graces your poker table chat box? Sure it does. We have all been victims and yes, benefactors of bad beats. You could play more than a hundred hands an hour online so you are NOT going to avoid bad beats - on either end. I do find however, that many of my fellow players online actually use the bad beat excuse too often without really knowing what a bad beat really is.

Big slick is often involved in bad beat scenarios because it is the on hand that players push too hard with. It is even a bigger mistake to push early in a sit and go tournament with this hand. Myself I prefer to trap when I get a favorable flop, or use it against an over-aggressive player who thinks they are immune to losing.

Lets say for example that you are early in a sit and go tournament and you have AK on the button. It is folded around, so you make a three times the big blind raise. The big blind calls after a short delay. Here is your flop. QJ9 rainbow. You want to maintain aggression so put out a bet of 150 into the pot which is now almost 350 chips. The big blind reraises you by betting 375 chips. The pot is now 725, a worthy chunk of fighting chips. The problem is you have nothing but possibilities.

Players find it difficult to lay down a hand like AK, and then to a flop like this, for most low level players, sadly this is a trap they will not escape. You may have heard me recommend in my sit and go poker videos to try and keep the pot small with marginal hands. When the pot escalates, you better be sure you have a big hand, because baby, you are going to the river with it now.

Now back to the hand in play. Winners will fold in this spot. There is potential, but you are still on a draw. Expensive draws should be avoided in the early stages of a tournament. Consistent losers however, will most likely reraise all-in with the overs and gut shot draw.

You get called and the big blind turns over Ace Ten! He was drawing too! You are actually ahead. Now you are hoping for baby cards to fill the last two streets. Turn brings an ace! You got him now and hold your breath for the river but alas, and 8 hits fifth street and the big blind dude who let it ride on a draw, hits his straight. So sick. What the heck was he thinking? What a bloody fool, idiot.

You have 45 chips left. That was the fourth hand of the tournament. Big blind idiot doubled up, all because you let it ride on a draw. So did he, but he hit his, while avoiding yours. Bad beat? Nope. Bad play by both players. You might be mad about this, but only yourself to blame. If you are going to let it ride early, you should be shooting for pair over pair making you about a 4 to 1 favorite. Otherwise, pick your spots, work the flop, work your opponent, but dont complain about a bad beat, that was actually a bad play.

Marty Smith is webmaster and a regular online poker player. He has a FREE Sit and GO Video Strategy Series on his website at http://www.PokerSitandGoReport.com He is also editor of http://www.FullTiltPokerReport.com