Bad Beat

1. To be ahead statistically in a hand, but ultimately losing.
2. A poker hand in which an extremely strong hand loses to an even better hand.

Popular Uses

Bad beats only happen to good players. -Joe Crow

It's not whether you won or lost, but how many bad beat stories you were able to tell. -Grantland Rice

If you always start with the worst hand, you never have a bad beat story to tell. -Chuck Thompson

2008 World Series of Poker

You just rivered quad Aces in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event! Congratulations! Now leave.

You Should Also Know...

Many players don't consider a hand a bad beat unless the majority of the chips were put in the pot while the victim of the bad beat was ahead. Additionally, how much of a favorite a player needs to be before the chips get in the pot is constantly up for the debate. For some players, all it takes is to be the statistical favorite. For others (and for us), the probability of winning must be high enough for the loss to be particularly shocking.

Related Terms

Suckout, Dog, Tilt