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Suck out - To come from behind to win a hand.
If you are behind on a hand, and you catch a card or combination of cards that cause you to win the pot, you have sucked out. Sucking
out simply means that you have come from behind to win
the hand. This often upsets the player who was in the lead,
who may feel that you did not have the correct pot odds to take the draw, or that you got very lucky to win the pot. They may try to
belittle your play, or they may make a sarcastic comment like “Nice suck out.” You shouldn’t take this personally, just as they shouldn’t
take getting sucked out on personally. It’s all part of the game.
It is true that suck outs can result from bad chases,
which can be defined as a call or series of calls made without the proper pot odds or implied odds. In fact, players who play poorly will
suck out much more often than players who play well. There is a good reason for this. Players who play poorly often put money into the pot
with the worst of it. They are behind in the hand much more often than players who play well, and they habitually draw without getting the
right odds. This means that they will suck out quite often, sometimes in horrendous fashion. This can be a source of frustration for the
player who got sucked out on, but it is also the source of profit for the better players. If you think about it, if a player were to call
down every hand all the way to the river, he would never miss a chance to suck out. He would suck out more than anyone else, but he would
also be likely to lose more money in the game than anyone else. The fact is that people make a lot of bad chases leading to a lot of suck
outs. This is a good thing for the better players in the game, because it means that their opponents are often taking the worst of it.
This is why you should not criticize players who suck out on you. It is a good thing for your bottom line that they are willing to
make bad chases. Pointing out their poor play could cause them to recognize or acknowledge it. Worse still, it could cause them to
analyze and correct the flaws in their game. It is better to reinforce their behavior by complimenting them or congratulating them on
winning the hand. Remember, regardless of what happens in the short run, in the long run you will make far more money from your
opponents if they chase than if they do not. You may feel like you are getting sucked out on far more often than you suck out on your
opponents. You probably are. Players who are constantly behind will suck out far more often than players who are constantly in the
lead. Wear this like a badge of honor, and take your lumps with dignity. Do not let it put you on
tilt, or otherwise affect your game.
What happens on any given poker hand is really not that important. What is important are your long term results.
While it is true that many suck outs are a result of poor play, it is not always the case. It is legitimate to draw when you are
behind if you have pot odds or implied odds. Even if you suspect your opponent has a
monster hand, and has you handily beaten, you
have to consider your odds of winning and the potential payout, should you decide to draw. This is done by calculating pot odds and
implied odds. In pot odds calculations, you are concerned with cost of the call, and how much you stand to win if you hit. If the
amount of the pot multiplied by your probability of winning it is greater than the cost of the call, you have pot odds and should
probably go for the suck out. If the reverse is true, and the cost of the call is greater than your probability of winning times the
pot size, you probably shouldn’t call, unless your implied odds dictate otherwise. Implied odds calculations consider not only the pot
odds that exist at that very moment, but also take into account likely future betting. A few of the things to be considered when
calculating implied odds include, your likelihood of getting paid off if you hit, how many players are likely to pay you off, how much
they will be willing to call, and whether or not you save a bet by not having to pay off the river should you miss.
Usage: Got Sucked Out On, Sucking Out, Nice Suckout
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Next Poker Term: Suited |
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