Chase in a poker context means the same as it does in regular English and carries the idea of following after something.
It’s usually used in two different poker scenarios. Chasing after a draw and chasing losses.
In this guide we’ll learn the following -
What Does It Mean to Chase After a Draw?
Chasing after a draw simply means to call against bets and raises in the hope that our drawing hand gets there. Although the term can be used to describe any situation where a hand is drawing, it is often used to describe situations where a player is calling bets and raises without the odds and hoping to get lucky. For example, that guy is a huge fish, he is constantly chasing draws.
Is Chasing After Draws Correct in Hold’em?
It purely depends on the price we are getting. If we are getting the pot odds or implied odds to call against a bet or raise then it is correct to chase after a draw. However, the phrase chasing after draws often implies a player is calling without getting the right price and hoping to get lucky. This will be a losing play in the long run and is naturally not recommended.
What Does It Mean to ‘Chase Losses’ in Poker?
Chasing losses implies that we have had a losing session and are continuing to play solely for the purpose of hoping to recoup the lost funds. This is usually not a great idea since we can never fully control whether we recoup our lost funds or end up even further down with an even bigger desire to chase losses.
Is It Ok To Chase Losses in Poker?
Chasing losses is generally considered in a negative light. It implies that we would have ideally already quit the poker session but we are struggling to be ok with quitting until we have won a percentage of our money back. One problem with this is that we can never guarantee winning any money back and may end up chasing even further losses. Chasing losses is therefore associated with the negative side of gambling along with gambling addiction.
Summary
The term chase in poker usually either refers to chasing a draw or refers to chasing losses. Chasing a draw is fine if we get the right pot odds or right implied odds to call. Chasing losses is usually considered in a negative light and is only fine if we have the right mindset.
