Common Poker Mistakes to Avoid
Poker is not a perfect game. So, there are no poker players. Every poker player will make mistakes, on occasion. The trick is to both learn from your mistakes and limit the number of mistakes that you make.
There are four big mistakes that many players, especially new ones, make. So, if you can learn what they are and how to avoid them, you'll be well on your way. Here's a brief overview of each.
Marginal Early Raising
Marginal hands, like AJ, can look really good to you if you haven't been catching any good cards in a while. In early position, though, such hands can be very dangerous to play. It's better to let them go and here's why.
If you put in a raise of, let's say, 3 times the big blind in early position, other players have the opportunity to re-raise to you. If they've caught a decent hand, they're going to do just that. That means that, if your hand is marginal, you're in for a world of trouble.
The best case scenario is that you'll fold to their re-raise. In which case, you'll lose your initial raise amount of three or four big blinds. The worst case scenario is that you'll call the re-raise, which means you'll invest even more chips in what is probably a losing hand. In either case, it's not a good idea.
Predictable Betting
Predictable betting is another common problem. It's all well and good to try to steal blinds, for example, by betting a large amount when you have a decent chip lead, but it's predictable. If you do it all the time, people will realize it and call your bluffs. At the same time, it's equally predictable to constantly just limp in with small bets when you have a good hand, hoping to get callers.
Predictability of any kind is the enemy of any poker player. If your opponents know how you bet, they can use that information to their own advantage. So, you can't expect to win if you let yourself be an easy read.
Bet Sizes
Another big mistake you could make is betting the wrong amount. One bet isn't the same as another. The amount that you bet will directly influence the reactions from your opponents. So, you have to adjust the size of your bet, based on the reaction you want.
You see, you may want your opponent to fold, call or raise to you, depending on what sort of hand you have. A Poker game is, after all, all about money. If you have a marginal hand, you might want to bet enough to get everyone to fold to you. If you have a great hand, though, you may want to bet just enough that others may call you. The trick is understanding how much is enough.
The Blame Game
Finally, a common error that many players make is thinking that they are infallible. If you think you know everything about poker, you're guaranteed to be wrong because nobody knows everything about poker. So, be sure to recognize and learn from your own short comings and mistakes, if you want to be a successful poker player.
