Welcome to the Mr. Badbeat Blog

Welcome to the Mr. Badbeat Blog — I'm glad you found your way here. I'm Lonnidell Pratt, and for most of my life the poker table has been my office. Players know me as Mr. Badbeat, and yes, the nickname came from living through more soul-crushing coolers and one-outers than any human should have to endure. The difference is that I studied them, learned from them, and turned them into a career.

I'm a professional poker player and the author of three poker strategy books — Killers at the Table, Beating the Pros, and Poker Class. My game is built on cash games: the daily grind of deep stacks, real decisions, and real money. Along the way I once won over $250,000 in a single month grinding cash games. That month didn't happen because of luck or some heater — it happened because of preparation, discipline, and a system for making profitable decisions over and over again.

This blog is where I share that system with you. Here's what you'll find here:

• Real cash-game strategy. Not generic advice — concrete frameworks for the spots that actually cost you money: 3-bet pots, blind defense, river decisions, bet sizing, and the math of expected value.
• Hand breakdowns. We'll dissect real hands street by street so you can see how a winning player thinks in the moment — what factors matter, what doesn't, and how to adjust on the fly.
• Bad-beat stories with lessons. The bad beats will keep coming; that's poker. What matters is what you take from them. Every brutal story here ends with a lesson that makes you tougher and sharper the next time it happens.
• Mindset. Tilt, discipline, bankroll psychology, and the emotional control that separates professionals from talented players who never quite make it.

My promise: everything here comes from real experience at the felt, written for players who want to win. Whether you're grinding $1/$2 or dreaming of bigger games, you'll find ideas in these posts that pay for themselves at the tables.

Let's start building your game. Browse the books to find the right strategy guide for where you are right now — and if you're new here, grab a free chapter and see what this is all about.

Welcome aboard. Now let's play some poker.