I love old movies. And one classic scene, repeated hundreds of times over the years, is the death spiral.

It generally goes like this: A military airplane is dramatically shot down in combat. It then goes into a spiraling dive, trailed by smoke, accompanied by the doppler sound of a failed engine falling away, before bursting into flames as it smashes into the ground.

Crashing and burning at the poker table is an avoidable disaster if you can keep your wits about you when it starts to happen. (Image: Ashley Adams)

This happens at the poker table too. It is not quite as dramatic, lacking the trailing smoke and fiery crash. But the effect on the bankroll is the same: complete destruction!