Poker is a lot of fun when you’re crushing cash games and taking down tournaments. But when you’re dealing with zero flops and getting outrun by junk hands, it can get real ugly. That’s why you should always play poker with money that you can afford to lose and keep your emotions in check. And while there’s no way around bad beats, you can change the way that you react to them and improve your overall game.

If you’re not a professional player, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you can only win big by making huge bets with big hands. But even the best players in the world have losing days. And sometimes they’re losing days that last a long time.

To avoid these kinds of losses, you should never make large bets with junk hands. Instead, try to play as much as possible with high-percentage hands and call the bets of the better players at your table. This will help you avoid bad beats and stay profitable.

To keep track of the chips that are used for betting, poker games often use a special fund called the “kitty.” Players add low-denomination chips to the kitty every time they raise a bet. When the game ends, players divide up the kitty and use the money to pay for new decks of cards and food. Usually, players who leave early are not entitled to their share of the kitty.