In poker, every little detail matters. This is what makes the difference between a beginner, a good player and a professional. We have compiled in this article the 12 rookie mistakes to avoid in poker.
12 rookie mistakes I wish I had known before I sat down at a poker table for the first time
- Not protecting your cards
The error is human. The dealer is also allowed to make rookie mistakes from time to time. He hears all day “call” “fold” “fold”, etc…. And he picks up poker cards from players who give up the shots. Everything is going according to plan, until the accident occurs. Your cards are as precious as diamonds. Take care of it. You are responsible for protecting your cards. By depositing a token on it, for example, otherwise you risk facing a very unpleasant situation. Ask the question to Estelle Denis who experienced this misadventure at the worst time against JC Tran during the World Series Of Poker 2009.
- Absolutely defend your blinds
Don’t fixate on your blinds. “The player in seat 4 is just attacking me when I’m in the big blind, I’m not going to let that happen! ” So what ? It may be true that he attacks you, but don’t lose your temper. Or you’re going to look for reasons to get into the game “I’ve already posted a blind, I don’t have much to add. If I touch, I will be invisible. It’s jackpot! The poker players’ graveyard is full of players who thought so. By absolutely defending your blinds, you will find yourself playing shots out of position with an often dominated hand against a player who has taken the initiative of the shot. Totally unsuccessful.
- Playing too many hands
One of the most common rookie mistakes is playing too many hands. Blue will tend to lack patience. He will want to show his opponents that he is not afraid to play and that he too can get into the action. He will also overestimate the strength of his hands “One player bets, the next one raises. But I still have QJ, it’s two dressed cards, I’m strong too. Yes, so hard that you’ll call 3 barrels with your top pair and be surprised to see your opponent return KK.
- Bluff calling stations
It’s almost impossible to pass a bluff to a player who doesn’t want to fold his hand, so don’t try. You know that this opponent very rarely gives up the moves he engages in. If you have to face such a player, consider making the pots bigger only if you are armed. There is a good chance that the chips will come back in your direction at showdown.
- Show your cards
If you show your cards when you don’t have to, there must be a good reason. If it’s to spread false information, so be it. However, remember that your more experienced opponents are watching you. They don’t really care about your hand. On the other hand, they will have spotted the way in which you behave in a situation. They will remember it the next time you meet face to face. Our advice? Leave that to more experienced players.
- Not being aware of your image at the table
Notice that the player in seat 1 is a lock? That seat 2 is hyper aggressive? The lady in seat 3 plays super passive and the old man in seat 4 defends all of his blinds. Have you noticed all this? Good. You know what ? They too have made an image of your style. Use this to your advantage by surprising your opponents. Were you categorized as a bluff? Be aware of this. Take advantage and maximize your big hands.
- Lacking aggression
To win a hand in poker, you either have to have a better hand than your opponent, or all of your opponents fold. By playing passively, you will miss a lot of opportunities to land moves. Implacable logic, by attacking your opponent, you will have more chance of winning a blow than by suffering it.
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Your opponent, who raised pre-flop, makes a continuation bet. You have a flop flush draw and decide to call. It’s correct. But once in a while, it is also interesting to raise on the flop. You will thus have an additional chance of winning the move by making your opponent give up.
- Play beyond your means
Even if you play recreationally, it is important to manage your poker bankroll well. Beginners are not necessarily aware of the variance. Periods of downswings can hurt your finances. If you play beyond your means and without a management of your bankroll that would allow you to beat the variance, you run to your loss.
- Playing to get you back
You have just lost two cellars. Ouch, that’s not cool. You have made the decision to redo yourself, and quickly! How ? By raising the stakes, by playing hyper-turbos, by playing heads-up. TTTIIIIIIILLLLLTTTTT! This is a big rookie mistake. We don’t play to recover. You get emotional and lose your cool, which will negatively affect your decision-making. The only thing you will manage to do is to dig a little more hole in your bankroll. Stop, it’s break time.
- Let emotions take over your poker
Always stay in control of your emotions. You may have had a bad day at work. Or when the player in seat 3 puts you on tilt because he inflicted a bad beat on you and slammed the cards on the poker table while shouting “All for dad!” “. It’s ugly, but bad beats you will also inflict. His turn will come, but never let emotions overwhelm you and affect your decision-making.
Don’t fixate on one player or another. The only thing you have to do to be a winner is to keep making the right decisions. If emotions take over, flee the table while you come down. If you want to take it to the next level, we recommend that you read Jared Tendler’s The Mind in Poker: Proven Strategies to Better Manage Tilt, Confidence, Motivation, Manage Variance, and More .
- Bet too small
One of the common mistakes in poker is betting too small. You have 7♦7♣ and have flopped a set on a 7♠J♠6♦ board and you think it would be good to extract as much money as possible from your opponent. So far, we’re fine.
How to best make this monster profitable? By betting small, we ensure that the opponent pays. You bet 20% of the pot. Turn 2♠. Rebelote, you again bet 20% of the pot. River 9♠. Ouch, a 4th spade. You check and your opponent puts in a big potato. Your opponent shows a lot of strength and you are forced to give up the blow by folding your set of 7. You tell yourself that your opponent is really lucky.
It was above all you who played with fire. By betting small, you’ve kept your opponent in the running for a low price. You can only blame yourself.
- Pay to confirm your reading
This is arguably one of the most common mistakes. Even experienced players continue to pay “to see”. Great, you paid €50 with 4th pair and saw your opponents’ cards. He has three of a kind and is light years ahead of you. You were just putting him on a set or something like that from the beginning of the move. But you needed to see his cards to confirm your suspicions. “Yeah, but now I know how he plays sets and I’ll use that info later.” The graveyard of broke poker players is full of players who intended to exploit their opponents’ information by calling the loser. You have lost €50 and that’s it.
Do you make mistakes in poker? Does it affect your morale? The only thing that should really bother you is seeing your bankroll melt away without reacting. Tell yourself that making a mistake is a great opportunity to learn. Everyone makes mistakes, including the best players on the planet. They just do less.
