Common Beginner Mistakes

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

ty ix heck i still make some of these mistakes but at least now i realize that its a mistake lol.:dance:

POKER STRATEGY :warning

Mistake #1: Playing too many hands

When people sit down in a game, they want to play. Often, this means they even will play hands like Jack Spade 4 of Diamond. This is a cardinal mistake.

Mistake #2: Playing above your bankroll

This goes without saying. Sometimes the gambling and money aspect of poker gets to people too much. They become greedy and play in games they cannot afford or games where the competition is simply too stiff.

At first, stick to a consistent, low limit. Learn how to play and beat the game before you play in higher-stakes games.

Mistake #3: Becoming too emotional at the table

Bad beats will happen. Losing sessions will happen. Annoying opponents will happen. Live with it and do not let your emotions sway your judgment at the table.

Mistake #4: Not using pot odds

If your hand needs improvement, the concept of pot odds can help you determine if you should call to see the next card on the board. Few beginning players understand pot odds, and they often call too much. This site has an article about pot odds, as well as a pot odds calculator to help you better understand this concept.

Mistake #5: Using a two-color deck

When most people think of cards, they think of two colors, red and black.

Well, I have news for you. Some online poker rooms give you two display choices: the traditional two-color deck and a four-color deck. A four-color deck has a unique color for each suit.

Believe me, if you use a two-color deck, there is a good chance that, at some point, you will misread your hand. You might think you have a flush when in fact you do not. Using a four-color deck is a simple way to prevent yourself from making stupid mistakes.

Mistake #6: Not following etiquette

This is a mistake that brick-and-mortar beginners make. When you want to make a raise, you should not say, "I call your bet and raise you $X." Your initial action is considered your final action. So if you say, "I call ..." it means you just want to call. If you want to raise, say "raise" and state the amount you want to raise, if it is a no-limit game (the amount of the raise is obvious in fixed-limit games).

Mistake #7: Imitating other players

A lot of people learn how to play poker by playing in a fashion similar to other people. They may just imitate others at the table, or they may try to play like a professional they saw on television. This is the wrong way to go about playing poker.

Many people who play poker are simply bad at it. Imitating a poor player means copying a lot of their bad habits. Furthermore, trying to imitate what one saw on television is also a recipe for disaster. What is shown on television is almost always a tournament, and their hands are highly situational. The reasons for the professional's decision probably has little applicability to your own game.

It is important to understand how to make decisions at poker. Succeeding at poker is not done through imitation; rather, it is done through understanding the complexities of the game.

Mistake #8: Superstitions

All gambling involves luck. While luck tends to even itself out over the long run, people naturally focus on the short run and on their fluctuations.

Because gambling involves randomness, people will often blame or chalk up their luck to some random event that coincided with how they fared at a certain gambling session. This may be as innocent as believing in a lucky shirt. However, some people take these superstitions too far. They start to believe that if they constantly move seats or change their socks that they will somehow become the next WSOP winner.

You cannot affect the "luck" factor of gambling. Luck evens itself out over the long run. The only thing you should concern yourself with at the poker table is playing well. If you play very well at poker, you will win over the long run. If you do not play well, you will lose. It's as simple as that.

Mistake #9: Overvaluing Suited Hands

Having a suited hand is a plus. However, you should not play a hand just because it is suited. The first two things to consider about a starting hand are the ranks of the cards and whether the cards are paired. These are by far the most important factors in the value of a hand. After this, you should consider if they are suited or connecting.

A hand like cards Ace Clover King Diamond is much, much more valuable than a hand like 10 Heart 3 Heart. A Clover K Diamond is a top starting hand, whereas 10 Heart 3 Heart should be thrown in the muck.

This may sound obvious, but many beginners make the mistake of calling to see the flop with any two suited cards. The probability of flopping a flush or a flush draw with two suited cards is just under 12%. This is fairly low; you need other reasons to play a starting hand besides suitedness.

POKER STRATEGY
Mistake #2: Playing above your bankroll




[FONT="Century Gothic"]

all of the mistakes mentioned, are very good points
but I feel, if you abuse this one
you wont get a chance, to work on the others[/FONT]

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

ty ix heck i still make some of these mistakes but at least now i realize that its a mistake lol.:dance:

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

ty ix heck i still make some of these mistakes but at least now i realize that its a mistake lol.:dance:

POKER STRATEGY :warning

Mistake #1: Playing too many hands

When people sit down in a game, they want to play. Often, this means they even will play hands like Jack Spade 4 of Diamond. This is a cardinal mistake.

Mistake #2: Playing above your bankroll

This goes without saying. Sometimes the gambling and money aspect of poker gets to people too much. They become greedy and play in games they cannot afford or games where the competition is simply too stiff.

At first, stick to a consistent, low limit. Learn how to play and beat the game before you play in higher-stakes games.

Mistake #3: Becoming too emotional at the table

Bad beats will happen. Losing sessions will happen. Annoying opponents will happen. Live with it and do not let your emotions sway your judgment at the table.

Mistake #4: Not using pot odds

If your hand needs improvement, the concept of pot odds can help you determine if you should call to see the next card on the board. Few beginning players understand pot odds, and they often call too much. This site has an article about pot odds, as well as a pot odds calculator to help you better understand this concept.

Mistake #5: Using a two-color deck

When most people think of cards, they think of two colors, red and black.

Well, I have news for you. Some online poker rooms give you two display choices: the traditional two-color deck and a four-color deck. A four-color deck has a unique color for each suit.

Believe me, if you use a two-color deck, there is a good chance that, at some point, you will misread your hand. You might think you have a flush when in fact you do not. Using a four-color deck is a simple way to prevent yourself from making stupid mistakes.

Mistake #6: Not following etiquette

This is a mistake that brick-and-mortar beginners make. When you want to make a raise, you should not say, "I call your bet and raise you $X." Your initial action is considered your final action. So if you say, "I call ..." it means you just want to call. If you want to raise, say "raise" and state the amount you want to raise, if it is a no-limit game (the amount of the raise is obvious in fixed-limit games).

Mistake #7: Imitating other players

A lot of people learn how to play poker by playing in a fashion similar to other people. They may just imitate others at the table, or they may try to play like a professional they saw on television. This is the wrong way to go about playing poker.

Many people who play poker are simply bad at it. Imitating a poor player means copying a lot of their bad habits. Furthermore, trying to imitate what one saw on television is also a recipe for disaster. What is shown on television is almost always a tournament, and their hands are highly situational. The reasons for the professional's decision probably has little applicability to your own game.

It is important to understand how to make decisions at poker. Succeeding at poker is not done through imitation; rather, it is done through understanding the complexities of the game.

Mistake #8: Superstitions

All gambling involves luck. While luck tends to even itself out over the long run, people naturally focus on the short run and on their fluctuations.

Because gambling involves randomness, people will often blame or chalk up their luck to some random event that coincided with how they fared at a certain gambling session. This may be as innocent as believing in a lucky shirt. However, some people take these superstitions too far. They start to believe that if they constantly move seats or change their socks that they will somehow become the next WSOP winner.

You cannot affect the "luck" factor of gambling. Luck evens itself out over the long run. The only thing you should concern yourself with at the poker table is playing well. If you play very well at poker, you will win over the long run. If you do not play well, you will lose. It's as simple as that.

Mistake #9: Overvaluing Suited Hands

Having a suited hand is a plus. However, you should not play a hand just because it is suited. The first two things to consider about a starting hand are the ranks of the cards and whether the cards are paired. These are by far the most important factors in the value of a hand. After this, you should consider if they are suited or connecting.

A hand like cards Ace Clover King Diamond is much, much more valuable than a hand like 10 Heart 3 Heart. A Clover K Diamond is a top starting hand, whereas 10 Heart 3 Heart should be thrown in the muck.

This may sound obvious, but many beginners make the mistake of calling to see the flop with any two suited cards. The probability of flopping a flush or a flush draw with two suited cards is just under 12%. This is fairly low; you need other reasons to play a starting hand besides suitedness.

You play too many hands
You ignore the size of the pot (including chasing with bad pot odds)
You call 2+ small bets cold pre-flop with unpaired offsuit hands (AQo, AJo, QJo, KTo, etc.)
You don't raise AKo,JJ,TT
You don't 3-bet/cap AA,KK,QQ,AK
You fold pretty good hands for 1 bet in big pots
You open the pot for a limp outside of UTG/UTG+1 at a full table.
You think you can push out a flush draw
You play unsuited cards with one big card and a little one
You play suited crap out of position and for more than one bet outside of your blinds
You jam your draws without enough pot equity (callers) and/or with very little fold equity destroying your implied odds in the process.
You raise the flop "for a free card" too often and then proceed to semi-bluff the turn anyway.
You play your blinds too much when facing a raise (particularly heads-up)
You think playing over-cards is your biggest leak
You don't bet the river often enough
You go all-in
You over-value deception against poor players
You under-estimate how much of your profit comes from AA,KK,AK
You under-estimate how much of your profit comes from players that suck worse than you and fail to seek them out.
You under-estimate the impact and diverse forms of luck over the short term.
You under-estimate what long term is. 10,000 hands isn't long-term.
You expect to beat the rake for a healthy rate in any live game smaller than 4/8.


There, I've saved you the $30-$50 it costs to buy half of the Poker Books on the market today

here is another version just play with in your game and learn learn and learn some more

You play too many hands
You ignore the size of the pot (including chasing with bad pot odds)
You call 2+ small bets cold pre-flop with unpaired offsuit hands (AQo, AJo, QJo, KTo, etc.)
You don't raise AKo,JJ,TT
You don't 3-bet/cap AA,KK,QQ,AK
You fold pretty good hands for 1 bet in big pots
You open the pot for a limp outside of UTG/UTG+1 at a full table.
You think you can push out a flush draw
You play unsuited cards with one big card and a little one
You play suited crap out of position and for more than one bet outside of your blinds
You jam your draws without enough pot equity (callers) and/or with very little fold equity destroying your implied odds in the process.
You raise the flop "for a free card" too often and then proceed to semi-bluff the turn anyway.
You play your blinds too much when facing a raise (particularly heads-up)
You think playing over-cards is your biggest leak
You don't bet the river often enough
You go all-in
You over-value deception against poor players
You under-estimate how much of your profit comes from AA,KK,AK
You under-estimate how much of your profit comes from players that suck worse than you and fail to seek them out.
You under-estimate the impact and diverse forms of luck over the short term.
You under-estimate what long term is. 10,000 hands isn't long-term.
You expect to beat the rake for a healthy rate in any live game smaller than 4/8.


There, I've saved you the $30-$50 it costs to buy half of the Poker Books on the market today

here is another version just play with in your game and learn learn and learn some more

POKER STRATEGY :warning

Mistake #1: Playing too many hands

When people sit down in a game, they want to play. Often, this means they even will play hands like Jack Spade 4 of Diamond. This is a cardinal mistake.

Mistake #2: Playing above your bankroll

This goes without saying. Sometimes the gambling and money aspect of poker gets to people too much. They become greedy and play in games they cannot afford or games where the competition is simply too stiff.

At first, stick to a consistent, low limit. Learn how to play and beat the game before you play in higher-stakes games.

Mistake #3: Becoming too emotional at the table

Bad beats will happen. Losing sessions will happen. Annoying opponents will happen. Live with it and do not let your emotions sway your judgment at the table.

Mistake #4: Not using pot odds

If your hand needs improvement, the concept of pot odds can help you determine if you should call to see the next card on the board. Few beginning players understand pot odds, and they often call too much. This site has an article about pot odds, as well as a pot odds calculator to help you better understand this concept.

Mistake #5: Using a two-color deck

When most people think of cards, they think of two colors, red and black.

Well, I have news for you. Some online poker rooms give you two display choices: the traditional two-color deck and a four-color deck. A four-color deck has a unique color for each suit.

Believe me, if you use a two-color deck, there is a good chance that, at some point, you will misread your hand. You might think you have a flush when in fact you do not. Using a four-color deck is a simple way to prevent yourself from making stupid mistakes.

Mistake #6: Not following etiquette

This is a mistake that brick-and-mortar beginners make. When you want to make a raise, you should not say, "I call your bet and raise you $X." Your initial action is considered your final action. So if you say, "I call ..." it means you just want to call. If you want to raise, say "raise" and state the amount you want to raise, if it is a no-limit game (the amount of the raise is obvious in fixed-limit games).

Mistake #7: Imitating other players

A lot of people learn how to play poker by playing in a fashion similar to other people. They may just imitate others at the table, or they may try to play like a professional they saw on television. This is the wrong way to go about playing poker.

Many people who play poker are simply bad at it. Imitating a poor player means copying a lot of their bad habits. Furthermore, trying to imitate what one saw on television is also a recipe for disaster. What is shown on television is almost always a tournament, and their hands are highly situational. The reasons for the professional's decision probably has little applicability to your own game.

It is important to understand how to make decisions at poker. Succeeding at poker is not done through imitation; rather, it is done through understanding the complexities of the game.

Mistake #8: Superstitions

All gambling involves luck. While luck tends to even itself out over the long run, people naturally focus on the short run and on their fluctuations.

Because gambling involves randomness, people will often blame or chalk up their luck to some random event that coincided with how they fared at a certain gambling session. This may be as innocent as believing in a lucky shirt. However, some people take these superstitions too far. They start to believe that if they constantly move seats or change their socks that they will somehow become the next WSOP winner.

You cannot affect the "luck" factor of gambling. Luck evens itself out over the long run. The only thing you should concern yourself with at the poker table is playing well. If you play very well at poker, you will win over the long run. If you do not play well, you will lose. It's as simple as that.

Mistake #9: Overvaluing Suited Hands

Having a suited hand is a plus. However, you should not play a hand just because it is suited. The first two things to consider about a starting hand are the ranks of the cards and whether the cards are paired. These are by far the most important factors in the value of a hand. After this, you should consider if they are suited or connecting.

A hand like cards Ace Clover King Diamond is much, much more valuable than a hand like 10 Heart 3 Heart. A Clover K Diamond is a top starting hand, whereas 10 Heart 3 Heart should be thrown in the muck.

This may sound obvious, but many beginners make the mistake of calling to see the flop with any two suited cards. The probability of flopping a flush or a flush draw with two suited cards is just under 12%. This is fairly low; you need other reasons to play a starting hand besides suitedness.

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

ty ix heck i still make some of these mistakes but at least now i realize that its a mistake lol.:dance:

Onpokplaya

Those are some really good advices for beginners and those that still think they know the game but plays poor without using those fundamentals.

ty ix heck i still make some of these mistakes but at least now i realize that its a mistake lol.:dance:

Very imformative and i see players doing what you said not to do ver yoften especially on the freerolls and one other thing i didnt see covered is how people dont think about position sometimes they have to use that to decide what to do with theyre cards... such as if you have say KJo and theres still 5 players left to call and theyre abot half of them are playing pretty loosely do you want to just call and se where they take it or do you want to raise about 3 times the blind and try to slim the field down a little bit