“I can’t beat him,” He’s so lucky,” “How does he do it?” – you hear that kind of whining all the time. A player with sound fundamentals and an intuitive feel for the game can be a good player. The great players are the ones who have the ability to adapt to their opponents. Instead of spending time complaining about their opponents’ good luck or their own misfortune, they figure out what’s working for their opponents and find ways to exploit those tactics or to use them in their own game.

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Great players are also accurately able to identify when their opponents are just getting lucky opposed to playing well and doing things that help them win. Complaining doesn’t play a role in adapting; it puts you in a bad mindset and makes the game less fun.

If you are up against a player who always seems to get there, you may be up against a guy who is on a heater. But, instead of complaining about your rotten luck, do some analysis of what he is really doing. Is he calling off every step of the way or is he doing the betting early in the hand? Are his starting hands strong, playable, or just any two cards?

Is he generally the aggressor and playing in position pre-flop or is he calling bets from any position and just hoping to get lucky? Is he actually winning every hand or does it just seem that way because he is in a lot of hands, but is able to get away from those he isn’t winning?

You can sit around and complain about the guy getting lucky and running over the table. He probably is getting a little lucky. He might even be a calling station getting smacked in the face by the deck. But, as the game continues to evolve, there are more players who are talented, perceptive, and aggressive. They maximize their fold equity, get other players off their game, and are the “luckiest guys I’ve ever seen.”

There are strategies to counteract any player, but if you are spending your time and energy making sure you and everyone else know how lucky he is, you probably aren’t asking any of the questions mentioned above.

To go slightly more in-depth about this strategy and style, it is all about fold equity. This style of play often shows up with drawing/speculative hands once pot size and stack sizes dictate he has to be in for the rest of the way. Sometimes, middle pair trips up. In those cases, our “lucky” player wins nice pots where it looked like he had the worst of it and got lucky. In reality, those situations where he is gambling with the worst hand are balanced by all of the hands he is winning before that point when he is getting his opponents to fold and picking up pot after pot.

There are many ways to win at poker, but sitting around complaining about someone getting lucky isn’t one of them. Figuring out what the lucky player is doing and counteracting it can put you in the catbird’s seat.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.