Bad beat vs cooler in poker: what's the difference?

A bad beat is when you lose a hand you were a big favourite to win, because your opponent hit a lucky card. A cooler is when you have a very strong hand but your opponent has an even stronger one, so you lose a big pot that was almost impossible to avoid. Both are part of poker; neither means you played badly.

Examples

Situation	Bad beat or cooler?
You have A-A all-in preflop vs 7-2; a 7 and a 2 come	Bad beat
Your flush loses to a full house on the river after you were 90% ahead on the turn	Bad beat
K-K vs A-A all-in preflop	Cooler
Set over set on the flop	Cooler
Your king-high flush loses to an ace-high flush	Cooler

Why bad beats happen

Even big favourites lose sometimes. A-A wins about 85% against a random hand, so it loses about one time in seven. Online you play many hands, so you’ll see more bad beats. See the poker odds cheat sheet and variance.

Bad beat jackpots

Some rooms and casinos run a bad beat jackpot: if a very strong hand (for example four of a kind) loses, the players at the table share a prize. Rules differ by room.

How to handle them

Judge your decision, not the result. If you got the money in as a favourite, you did your job. See expected value.
Don’t tilt. Take a short break after a big beat. See tilt.
Don’t complain at the table. It makes others play better against you. See online poker etiquette.
Keep a proper bankroll so one bad beat doesn’t hurt.

FAQ

What is a bad beat in poker?

Losing a hand you were a big favourite to win because your opponent hit a lucky card.

What is a cooler in poker?

Losing a big pot with a very strong hand to an even stronger hand, such as K-K vs A-A.

Is losing with aces a bad beat?

Yes, if you were all-in as a big favourite and your opponent caught up.

What is a bad beat jackpot?

A prize some rooms pay when a very strong hand loses, shared by the players involved or at the table.