Playing Too Many Hands
Many players think they need to play a lot of hands to win at poker. This is not true. Consistently playing bad cards is a good way to lose on a regular basis. Choosing to play good poker hands – quality over quantity – is wise poker strategy.
Outplaying Your Bankroll
The thrill of gambling and making money tends to overwhelm some players. They move to higher-limit games with stiffer competition and then find themselves out of their depth. When they start losing, they increase their bets to win back losses, and then end up depleting their bankroll quickly. Stick to low-limit games and build up your poker skills (and bankroll) before moving up to the higher limits.
Losing Your Cool
Poker is a game of reason, but emotions do get involved. Learn to deal with your emotions. You will lose in stretches. You will face bad beats. You will face annoying opponents. Accept these facts and learn to deal with the emotional results.
Ignoring Pot Odds
Many beginning poker players do not understand the concept of pot odds, or don’t know how to calculate them. Therefore, they call more often than they should and get involved in more hands than necessary. Being able to calculate pot odds, and then making the right poker bets, are keys to making more informed decisions and playing better at the table.
Not Following Poker Etiquette
Many poker beginners overlook common betting basics. For example, when you want to raise, you cannot say, “I want to call the bet and raise…” The first action (call) is the final action. If you want to raise, then say “I want to raise…” and then the amount of the raise.
Placing Too Much Value on Suits
Having suited cards in your hand is good, but that does not mean you should always play suited cards. You have to consider hand rankings and hand probabilities, which includes determining whether the cards are paired, suited or connected.
Imitating the Pros
Imitating professional poker players is the wrong way to learn how to play poker. Each player has their own skill level and reasons for making decisions. Copying what someone else did in a similar situation may not lead to the same results, because everything is different – the cards, your opponents, the situation, and (most importantly) you.
Depending on Luck
Gambling is based on luck. Over the long term, luck tends to even out. Luck cannot be influenced, and you cannot influence the cards you’re dealt. You can influence your results by making sure you play well. Over the long term, your poker “luck” will depend on your skills.
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