Good players are good because they think. This is what separates good players from bad players – who play without thinking. Unfortunately, good players also get themselves into trouble with their thinking. They may cleverly try to justify a reason to keep playing when they should have stopped.
Thought #5: “He’s probably bluffing.”
Players want to play. They look for excuses not to fold. So sometimes, even when you think you are beaten, this thought can creep into your mind and convince you to continue playing by claiming that there is a small chance that you can win with your marginal hand, often facing a big bet.
In limit poker this isn't a big problem, since the bet is usually small compared to the big pot already formed. However, in no-limit poker, where the bet can be even bigger than the pot, this can become a problem. If your judgment tells you to fold, don't let that little thought override your knowledge. Just fold.
Thought #4: “I can’t fold right now.”
The game is no-limit $1/$2. You are in position 8 and are dealt A9. Everyone folds. It’s not the best hand to raise with, but it’s definitely worth a try. You raise to $10 – trying to steal the blinds or at most get called and hope to hit the A or win the pot with a C-BET. The small blind folds, but the BB 3-BETs to $20. Your judgment tells you to fold, after all, you are dominated by a lot of hands like 99’s+, AT+. The problem is that your ego starts to kick in and your “I can’t let go of this hand now” thoughts start to creep in and you call.
The problem is that you let your thoughts override your reason. Of course, you can fold here. You tried a semi-bluff, but you ended up being the victim. Don't let such thoughts keep you from making the right move. Sometimes in poker, especially in no-limit, the right thing to do is to fold.
Thought #3: “I should bet.”
There are certainly situations that call for aggression. It wouldn't be wrong to say that aggression is the key to winning at no-limit hold'em. The problem is that aggression must be intentional, not automatic.
You probably know this, but even so, good players still bet because they think they should. Imagine you have 33 in middle position. The game is very loose and passive and you call. The flop brings several low cards, and there are five players. The first three check to you, who have an aggressive image and decide to bet so as not to appear weak. The button, who is a very loose player, decides to call. The turn is an ace and you bet again so as not to appear weak. Your opponent calls again. The river comes a neutral card. You bet again to finalize your plan of showing strength and receive a call from the villain with a weak ace, who wins the pot.
The problem isn't necessarily what you did, but why you did it. You didn't need to bet. You probably should have check/folded here, or even seen a free card if the dealer checked. The mistake was, betting to try to show strength.
Thought #2: “What’s a few more bucks, I’ve already lost a lot.”
This is a real stack killer. “A few bucks” is the same amount of money, whether you’re winning or losing. If it’s a bad call or you’re “dead” in the hand, then it’s wrong to call if you’re losing. The state of your session shouldn’t interfere with your decisions. These small bets that you waste add up and will greatly reduce your winrate. If you’re starting to think that losing a few more bucks won’t make a difference, it’s time to get up from the table.
Thought #1: “I will only stay until I can recover what I lost.”
This is the most expensive thought for our game, and probably the one that will have the most effect on our stack.
If you're behind in a session, there's probably a reason. Sure, it could be the natural flow of the game, or even the variance. But there's a good chance you're just not playing well. If you're thinking about leaving when you get close to even, it means you've probably been playing for a while. If you weren't, you wouldn't be thinking about leaving the game.
Just put the pieces together. If we are not playing well and have been playing for a while, there is also the fatigue factor involved. This is yet another factor that will prevent us from playing our A-Game. This is a real vicious cycle, because the more tired we are, the worse we play, the more we lose, the more we want to play to win back what we lost, and the more we lose again. In more serious cases, bad situations can start to happen, such as playing with more money than we have set aside for poker, or even maxing out credit cards.
Know your limits, play for pleasure, with focus and well rested. If you are losing, don't think about playing to recover. Only continue playing if you are feeling well.
Article translated and adapted from the original written by Ashley Adams.
English 
Português do Brasil 
Español 
This is my problem, I'm going to recover what I've already lost, I often end up doing several re-buys and losing everything, compromising my bankroll.