Let’s face it, poker is a complex game that can baffle even the most successful players on the planet. You might make a string of common mistakes and win, but you might also get every decision spot-on and still lose. The excitement of a game of poker lies in the overlap of luck and skill, where your decisions and other players’ decisions equally determine your fate.
Although we’d like to think that we’re just one win away from becoming the next Daniel Negreanu, one game is all it might take for our pride to take a slump. The journey to the top is arduous, but an important first step is sticking with EnergyCasino and reading up on how to avoid making the most common poker mistakes. Whether your playground is online poker or live poker, you’ll definitely want to avoid making mistakes like these, so listen up!
1) NOT PRACTISING
Perhaps the most common mistake in poker is the failure to keep adding to your poker experience. Mastering poker is a slow and gradual process that needs a certain level of continuance to be effective.
Poker players who aspire to dominate the scene try to play a few rounds whenever time and money allow, and this subtle advantage will eventually pay off in the long run. Regular practice is what separates recreational players from the best.
2) NOT DIVERSIFYING YOUR POKER STRATEGIES
Using the same strategy for the same hands is an instant giveaway to perceptive poker players. For instance, always checking on weak hands might hurt your chances of winning with a strong hand. This is due to the fact that, should a powerful hand eventually fall in your lap, you’ll likely place a big ante — which would be just the hint other players need to fold and back out of the round.
Toying with different strategies is a great way to remain unpredictable. Remember: poker is a game of shifting circumstances and fluid situations — being hard to read in every situation is what you should be looking to achieve.
3) BLUFFING YOUR STACK AWAY
Before the thought even pops in your head — no, impulsive bluffing too many hands is neither a feasible nor a viable way of being unpredictable. Although you might find that a haphazard bluff could win you a pot or two, regular bluffs won’t faze players for too long.
Keep in mind that all it takes for a bluff to go sideways is that one opponent calls you out on it with a better hand. Such an outcome will not only cost you a pretty penny, but it will also unveil your bluffing strategy to others. It’s advisable to keep playing poker until you learn when and how to bluff.
4) CHASING LOST MONEY
Whether it’s a big bluff gone sideways or an unfortunate losing streak, you might be tempted to start playing boldly by increasing your bet sizes, cold calling, bluffing and even making a re-raise to sweeten the pot — all in an effort to make up for lost money.
More often than not, this will end up losing you even more money — the exact opposite of what you were initially trying to achieve. You should always approach your hand as if it were your first, independently of the result of your previous hands.
If you’ve already lost a substantial amount of money, stepping away from the game is probably the healthiest decision you could make.
5) BEING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF BLUFF CATCHING
Texas hold ‘em players bluff in different circumstances. Some might opt to bluff only and always when they have a very strong hand, whereas others might prefer not to bluff at all.
Learn to read what kind of players you are playing against, since this will tell you whether you can perform a bluff catch successfully and who is most likely to bluff with air.
Being on the wrong end of a bluff catch either means that you haven’t read the room well enough, or that you’re simply unlucky. Keeping an eye on other people’s behaviour is key to winning at a poker table.
6) BEING IMPATIENT
Perhaps the most fundamental concept that is true about all the cash games in the world is that patience is absolutely paramount, especially when there’s money on the line.
Rash decisions will invariably lower your win rate in the long run, thus making for not only lost money but also a gradual disintegration of your confidence.
Unsuccessful betting — be it buying into a bluff or getting blindsided by better-value hands — might slowly crumble your mental game, but it’s important to treat each hand like a new poker table altogether, only that the same players are present.
7) NOT KEEPING YOUR EMOTIONS IN CHECK
The mental side of a poker game isn’t frequently talked about, since more attention is generally poured onto the hands instead.
In a traditional poker setting, a losing player is easily identifiable — either by one too many snappy comments or a general disregard for poker etiquette.
On the other hand, elation is an equally destructive emotion. Winning poker hands might lead to overconfidence, and overconfidence will definitely lead to unsuccessful betting.
Although human beings are emotional by nature, the best players always manage to keep their mental game under lock and key.
This is also part of the reason why, in land-based casinos, poker players regularly wear sunglasses, masks and other concealing clothing — since this allows them to shroud any remnants of their emotions left unchecked.
Unfortunately, you can wear all the disguises you want in online poker, but players will still be able to take hints of your emotional status if you’re constantly chatting or playing irrationally.
8) NOT TAKING BREAKS
One of the most common mistakes in the world of gaming is not taking an adequate number of breaks in regular intervals. Poker is a very mentally taxing game that tires even the players of the best mental fortitude.
You should establish a break interval that works the best for you, such as a ten-minute break for every hour of poker played. Having a conversation about a non-poker-related subject is also a great tool to reshift your focus and get you freshened up for your next game of poker.
9) WALKING INTO PLAYERS’ BLUFFS
Poker tables can be a platform for many ego wars between opponents. In poker, it’s certainly not uncommon to be dealt losing hands, and it’s even less uncommon to lose pots at the hands of the same opponent.
Instead of tweaking your decisions in an attempt to defy your opponent, stick to a viable strategy, and a win will eventually follow.
If you begin to notice that you’re twitching in frustration whenever a particular opponent plays, that’s a good indication that you have to detach your emotions from the equation. Don’t make playing online poker a battle of egos instead of a battle of wits.
10) LETTING BOREDOM GET THE BETTER OF YOU
You might be growing tired of folding at the pre-flop after being dealt a sequence of atrocious hands, which means that the temptation to bet on a theoretically worse range of hands might seem more alluring than ever. This is rarely a good idea, and your bankroll will pay tribute to it.
A good antidote to dispel the boredom is following the action even after you fold. Keeping a close eye on your opponents’ actions might help you during future streets, when it could possibly be your turn to go toe to toe with them.
11) SCRAMBLING FOR A FLUSH
If you’re dealt a flush draw, you will definitely hope that the post-flop will make for a flush. This reasoning isn’t unfounded, of course, since taking home the pot with a flush draw is more than possible as long as no other player matches or betters your hand.
However, weak flush draws can be susceptible to better flush draws. For instance, drawing a four and a five of the same suit might not be worth sinking too much money in the pot, since there are many better hands that can beat that one — a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush are four possibilities that can end up costing you the big sum you’d have invested.
On the other hand, you could be more optimistic if your draw is an ace and a king of the same suit, even though there is almost never a guarantee of winning in poker.
12) SLOW-PLAYING STRONG HANDS
Although slow-playing promising hands might just be your playing style, do know that you might be squandering your win potential that way.
If you slow-play a strong hand, you’ll fail to rack up a sizeable pot by the end of the post-flop play. Granted, a small pot is better than nothing, but a powerful hand might be your moment to shine. Who knows when the pot odds will sway in your favour again?
Slow-playing strong hands is very prevalent among new players, who are often wary that raising the bet will result in opponents folding prematurely. This isn’t a flawed mindset, but it will definitely cost you money in the long run. If you’ve been dealt a powerful hand, your first step is to place a value bet. After that, gauge the response of your opponents and act accordingly.
13) WALKING INTO AGGRESSIVE RAISES
Knowing when to fold is a gift that a poker player gains through experience. New players tend to call sudden bets and raises, whereas such instances will trigger warning lights for experienced players, and they’ll fold without a second thought.
If your opponent raises after having checked their way through the post-flop, you should consider that they might have struck, or could be close to striking, a powerful hand combination.
Remember: just because your hand is a good one doesn’t mean that a better hand is off the cards. In fact, that constitutes the big fascination of poker — absolutely anything can happen, even that rare outcome that almost never happens!
14) NOT SHIELDING YOUR STACK
When a poker game has been going on for a while, the table’s chips are rarely as evenly distributed as they were before the play started. Some players might be sitting on a huge stack, whereas others will be scrambling to bag any pot they could get their hands on.
If you’re in this awkward position, it’s important to stay cautious and play responsibly instead of going all-in haphazardly.
On the other hand, if you’re sitting on a sizeable stack in the middle stage of the game, it’s not advisable to act as the table bully by deliberately putting players in challenging spots and bluffing all the time. Keep in mind that you’re only one big mistake away from blowing that precious stack away.
15) DISREGARDING TABLE IMAGE
The uncomfortable truth about poker is that your opponents are watching every move you make. If you tend to check or fold frequently, your opponents will be wary of calling when you place a big bet, since it’s somewhat blatant that your hand is a strong one.
Conversely, if you’re constantly bluffing, players will stop being fazed by your large bets and instead start calling you out. Observing other players’ moves is also a very intelligent trait, since this could potentially give you the edge over them in a decisive pot.
16) DISREGARDING YOUR POSITION
Succumbing to Fancy Play Syndrome (FPS) is quite an easy thing to do, especially if you’re caught in an ego warzone between multiple opponents. FPS is when our poker decisions aren’t based on the value and strategic circumstance of our hands, but on a desire to appear bold, sly and cocky.
A successful player knows the value of their chips and makes decisions depending on the value of their hand. It’s important to always understand your position and bet accordingly, even if your ego has to take the backseat.
17) NOT LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES
Committing poker mistakes is a part of your learning curve, but committing the same mistakes over and over again will form a mental barricade — impeding you from improving your game.
Chalking off mistakes to misfortune doesn’t help either, and it’s important to own up to them and vow to improve in future hands. Analysing what went wrong in a lost round and striving to improve is what paves the path for a winning player.
18) MISMANAGING TILT
Losing a game you were sure you’d win could tick you off even if you’d have sounds of a harp and waves hitting the shore playing in the background. Although frustration is understandable when playing a game of poker, it’s fundamental to step away from the table — or device if you’re playing online poker — and come back after you’ve cooled off. Tilt in poker can be very dangerous, since it can lead to rash decisions and a lost stack.
19) PLAYING POKER WHEN FRUSTRATED
The decision to play poker when on edge is as absurd as a surgeon going to work with a broken arm. One of the biggest mistakes you could make is playing poker when your emotions are playing up, either due to elements related to your outside life or factors related to a past poker game.
If your life’s circumstances aren’t allowing you a temperate mindset, or if a past big loss at a poker table is still haunting you, do not play poker. Your bankroll will thank you for it.
20) NOT ESTABLISHING A BUDGET
Spiralling down a winless streak is never fun; neither is it a good strategy to keep spending more than your budget allows. This is true for all cash games out there, since betting money you cannot afford to lose will lead to serious financial problems down the line, and that’s not what the game of poker is about.
Before playing poker, establish a strict budget and don’t keep playing if it dries up. You could stretch your budget by playing at low-stakes tables, but even that might deplete your entire bankroll if you’re having a bad day, so be wary and don’t go over your limit. Remember: if you cannot afford losing any more money, stop playing.
Legitimate online casinos have very comprehensive Responsible Gaming guidelines that you could consult if you want to establish a better understanding of this fundamental aspect of gaming.
21) PLAYING TOO LOOSE
Players, especially new ones, tend to pursue a very wide range of hands despite the fact that they might be losing ones. New players usually pursue the entertainment factor of poker more than advanced players do, which means betting on hands that are statistically unlikely to win.
Financially, this doesn’t make post-flop play simpler, since it will just lead to folds at the hands of players who are more confident with their hands. During the pre-flop, it’s important to statistically assess the value of your hand and only pursue it if you think that it’s worth doing so.
22) PLAYING TOO TIGHT
A tight player, contrary to a loose one, will be very wary of pursuing a hand unless it’s extremely strong. This not only means that you’ll be passing up lucrative opportunities, but it’ll also make you very predictable to observant players.
If a tight player never places a bet, it’s as clear as day that they hold a powerful hand when they do eventually place a bet. Winning players fall somewhere in between loose and tight players, so make sure to establish a reasonably wide range of hand values to bet on. This will make your post-flop decisions easier too, since you’ll know if the hand is worth pursuing, and you won’t hesitate to fold if it’s not.
23) COLD CALLING RANDOMLY
If you want to witness one of the most common poker mistakes, jump on any low-stakes online poker table out there and notice how often players cold call without a strong hand. A cold call is when a player who has no money in the pot calls a bet or a raise. This isn’t necessarily a bad decision, but cold calling with a hand of poor showdown value makes you vulnerable to losing from an early position.
If another player re-raises after your call, you’ll either have to call again to avoid wasting the cold call — even if your hand isn’t strong, or fold and forfeit your stake in the pot.
Keep in mind that for a player to cold call, no blind would have yet been placed on their part, which basically means that folding would be cost-free at that very moment. Only a small sample of hands is worth cold calling, and experience will teach you which ones these are.
24) DISREGARDING CASINO BONUSES
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