I can only beat good players
By Bernard Harris

The common excuse, “I can only beat good players,” often comes with a bad beat story and is a mantra for many recreational players. But when was the last time you heard an athlete blame a loss on his opponent’s lack of skill? How often does Apple attribute decreased sales to their competitors’ lack of success? The answer is never. So what makes poker different? How are bad players the bane of good ones? The truth is they are not and hopefully by the end of this article you will understand why.

When someone says, “I can only beat good players,” what they really mean is that they can only beat a certain kind of villain. This often indicates a static style of play that does not adjust to one’s opponents. Similarly, bad beats weigh heavily on our minds, skewing our memories and perceptions. We obsess about the suckouts, horrendous calls, and curse the donks responsible. This leads many of us to falsely conclude that bad players are just unbeatable.

The truth is bad players are the best thing for the game. To illustrate, think of poker as paper-rock-scissors, Blackjack, and Craps all rolled into one. Now, imagine playing paper-rock-scissors with a villain who always chose rock. What about playing Blackjack against a villain that kept hitting until he made 21 or went bust? How about playing Craps versus a villain who gave 4 to 1 odds on all field bets? Would you avoid these situations because your opponent was a bad player?

Of course not! The expected value (EV) of the above scenarios is off the charts and any sane player would kill to be in those games. Therefore, you should view playing bad poker players in much the same light. A bad player, by definition, plays in a negative EV manner. They often overvalue weak holdings, give pot odds, call down with abysmal equity, and routinely put themselves in adverse situations. These tendencies are great news for any decent poker player. What more could one ask for in an opponent?

But if you still think bad players are to be avoided then let’s look at their counterparts—good players. Good players do not overvalue weak holdings, or give pot odds, or pay off offensive overbets when you hit. They are capable of making advanced moves against you like semi-bluffs, three-bets, and the squeeze play. Good players understand equity, expected value, how to maximize position, and they constantly put their opponents to difficult decisions. In short, good players are not easy prey. So why would you prefer to hunt sharks instead of donks?