Preventing major losses is a very complicated and “multi-layered” concept, as I explain in my course. However, one of the MAJOR components and “core” strategies behind it can be summed up in one simple, 12-letter word:

ANTICIPATION.

That’s right, you can literally cut down on the number of big hands you lose by simply ANTICIPATING better. And I don’t mean anticipating the CARDS. I mean anticipating THE BETS, based on what cards COULD come out of the deck.

Here’s an example that will make it clear: Let’s say you’re on the button and dealt A, J off-suit. The blinds are $1-2 and Aaron (a very tight player) makes it $15 to play. Everyone at the table folds and the action is to you. This is the best hand you’ve seen in awhile, so you call the bet without much hesitation.

That is where you made your FIRST MISTAKE.

You KNOW that Aaron is a very tight player that only makes pre-flop raises with monster hands. But you called the bet anyway, because you didn’t ANTICIPATE what YOU would do, even if you hit your ace on the flop.

OK, so the flop hits, and the cards are: A, 9, 2. Aaron comes out firing with a $30 bet right away. Now what do you do?

You have to put him on AK, AQ, AA, KK, or QQ. These are pretty much the only hands that Aaron will make a pre-flop raise with. Of course, he didn’t check to you, so he probably doesn’t have the cowboys or queens. So now you think about what Aaron is holding. You put him on hands that beat yours, but instead of folding you decide to see another card for $30.

This is where you made your SECOND MISTAKE.

You felt pot-committed and only thought about the $30 bet. What you SHOULD have been doing though is ANTICIPATING what Aaron was going to bet after the turn card. Let’s face it, you have to figure he’s going to fire again. Are you prepared to call ANOTHER large bet after the turn with you‚Äôre A,J?

Of course not! And what you’ve done here is simply dug yourself into a big hole because you played only to win. You got dealt a good hand and flopped the top pair and then stuck it out in hopes of a better card. When what you SHOULD have done is ANTICIPATED Aaron’s behavior and folded your cards before the flop.

Hands like these happen to even the best poker players, and you MUST develop the discipline to fold that AJ and fold that top pair when you’ve anticipated what’s coming next.

Think about what your opponent is going to bet.

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