Bad Beats, Coolers, and Conspiracy Theories

During this bankroll challenge, brutal events happen constantly. From an unrelenting downswing to endless bad beats and coolers, it felt like the opponents were riding an infinite wave of luck while we were stuck on the losing side. It made me wonder: is the game rigged? Are the poker rooms just scam operators draining deposits? Are there even any winning poker players out there? It’s hard to find anyone who has genuinely crushed a bankroll challenge.

My progress has stalled. After briefly moving up to 25NL, I’ve had to drop back to 10NL, only to face what feels like never-ending lousy luck. I’m nearing 100,000 hands, and the downswing shows no signs of letting up. Thankfully, I managed to win several bad-beat jackpots, and the rakeback has been a lifesaver, keeping my bankroll afloat. My bankroll is stable enough to grind 10NL all night long without worrying too much about bad beats and coolers. But when will this end? Why does it feel like the bad luck will never stop?

Never win a hand

It was a great session. The hero was up 5 buy-ins, and I was about to end the grind after two hours. It felt like the perfect session. But then, disaster struck. KK vs. AA happened twice, and our set couldn’t hold in the final moments. Like that, I went from up 5 buy-ins to down 3, and the adrenaline started to kick in. Instead of quitting, I decided to keep going. Cooler after cooler followed, and before I knew it, I was down 10 buy-ins.

What the hell is going on here? Why does bad luck always seem to strike the moment I’m about to quit? Frustration took over, and I kept grinding. I couldn’t sleep—I just wanted to win back those 5 buy-ins. I didn’t want to hand my hard-earned dollars to the clueless fish who play like there’s no tomorrow. How are they so lucky to be hitting two outers like it’s nothing? Where’s the justice?

Two weeks have passed, and the bad luck hasn’t let up. An hour-long session without a single made hand. Facing relentless aggression in 3-bet pots, my opponents kept shoving all in on the flop. Is this a new trend—gambling on every 3-bet pot? Am I getting crushed? Were my folds correct, or was I just getting owned by maniacs pretending to know what they’re doing?

Then I got QQ. A nitty regular shoved from a late position. It’s BTN vs. BB—an easy call, right? QQ always goes all in here. As expected, they had AK. But, of course, they hit their ace on the flop. Fine, no luck there. Then I picked up AK and shoved them. This time, they called with JJ. Easy spot—just a coin flip. Except it wasn’t. They hit their set, and I got crushed.

At this point, it’s hard to tell if it’s bad luck or my mistakes. Our minds love to trick us with selective memory, focusing on the worst moments. Have I reviewed my hands? Am I just playing poorly, tilted and overly aggressive, chasing hero calls? Maybe the problem isn’t the cards—it’s my mental game.

Logic injection doesn't work for me

I tried to calm my mind, taking a long break and studying more hands-on using solvers, hoping to rebuild my confidence. I kept telling myself that this downswing would pass. But despite my efforts, I seemed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. My temper flared easily, and I struggled to think straight whenever I faced aggression from a so-called “fish.” I felt too entitled to make the right fold, and on those rare occasions when I did, the fish would gleefully show their bluff. It stung every time.

Injecting logic into my game didn’t help. I kept trying to reason with myself, to remind myself of the long-term strategy. But it didn’t stop me from paying them off again and again. How do they always seem to have the nuts or a monster hand? Why does it feel like folding is the only option in every spot?

Every time I folded, they showed their bluff. And every time I called, they somehow always had the nuts. The same went for bluffing—every time I bluffed, they called me down with the bottom pair. But when I didn’t bet for value, they’d show up with some mediocre hand that I could’ve easily beaten.

The game is rigged against me like I’m being scammed.

Fixing Mental and Technical Leaks

The solution here is pretty straightforward. I need to address a big elephant in the room immediately. I need to find solid resources to improve my technical game and fix my mental game.

If I don’t try to study, my bankroll will dry up faster than I can imagine, and I’ll be forced to bow out of the poker world entirely.

But let’s look on the bright side. Isn’t what I’m experiencing now something that most poker players face at some point? If I had run good to 50NL, I wouldn’t have gained this invaluable experience. I wouldn’t have been pushed to fix my mental game, and I’d likely be too complacent to study seriously.

The truth is, poker is a brutally unique game. If I don’t learn and address my leaks, there’s no way I’ll ever make it long-term. But what are the rewards for conquering this journey? They’re worth every ounce of struggle. I can already imagine how incredible it will feel to crush this bankroll challenge successfully.

To anyone facing the same struggles, there’s only one way forward:

Fix your mental game and plug those technical leaks!

Let’s crush it!