Beginners in the game of poker can be recognized by a series of small, recurring mistakes, which do not escape the careful eyes of the pros.
We thought of listing the most common ones to help our readers find the “chicken” on the table more easily.
And if the feather is you?
Well then run for cover and treasure these little tricks, which may seem trivial, but put together they definitely distinguish a professional player from an amateur one.
Also keep in mind that live tournaments have different mechanics than online poker tournaments. You can also be magicians behind the computer screen, but sitting at a real table, and without realizing it, wings and crest could appear in a moment.
Let’s see what to pay attention to with 10 practical tips for not becoming the table chicken.
1. Don’t be too aggressive
A little bit of aggression at the poker table can really be decisive to intimidate players, especially the less experienced ones.
However, being overly aggressive can become completely counterproductive. Some poker players are raging against an eventual opponent making the intention to want him out of the game too clearly understood.
This aggression, if not controlled, will lead you to raise too many times, losing chips visibly.
Especially if you are at an 8-player table, keep in mind that at least one strong hand will be there.
2. Don’t ignore the “Position”
We are certainly not referring to posture, although that can say a lot about a player, but to the “playing position”.
It must always be taken into account that depending on your turn, all balances can change and that is why there are privileged positions.
That of the Button, that is, the last player to speak, the one seated to the right of the small blind to be clear, is without a doubt the best game position. Never forget that you have an advantage when you are the last to speak.
3. Overdose of Tells
Tell is nothing more than the clues that you spread while playing. Experienced poker players know them automatically and if you miss too many, you will quickly become real books open for them.
Try as much as possible to be natural, always, whether you have an unbeatable hand in front of you or that your cards are definitely disastrous.
Any nod can become a tell if repeated often and under similar circumstances. Check them and above all learn to read those of your opponents.
4. Woe to jackpot bets
In poker one of the main puzzles is betting. How much to bet? Well surely no one advises you to squander all the chips at the beginning, but not even to aim for Scrooge McDuck.
Small bets don’t make sense, not too small at least and not too frequent. A good rule of thumb is to bet based on the pot size.
Every now and then, to vary, there is a small bet, but in principle if you have a good hand or hope that others think so, avoid sowing crumbs on the table as Hansel & Gretel would do.
5. Don’t play too many hands
Hand in hand with point 4, inexperienced players often find themselves betting less and playing a lot.
This attitude will make your opponents understand in the blink of an eye that you are not professionals.
Participating in too many hands gives the idea of not having an idea of the game, or at the most of being impatient. Another weak point in any case.
Try to keep control of the situation, every now and then watching can also be useful to study the game of your opponents.
This point is fundamental: if you do not participate in a hand, it does not mean that you are not playing, quite the opposite.
6. Don’t ignore the number of participants
A 5 table is not an 8 table.
Never forget that the game strategy must adapt to the number of participants and therefore the cards on the table.
A practical example: an ace and an eight in hand? Excellent if you have two opponents in front. If your opponents are 7, it is highly likely that someone has better cards than yours.
7. Emotions don’t have to play for you
This is one of those difficult things to control, so much so that even professional players happen to be the victim of emotions.
Those who play poker usually do it to win and also to satisfy a rather demanding “ego”. Too bad that the situation can get out of hand, especially if you lose the hands in which you were sure to win.
Defeat is always difficult to manage, but trust me, if you cannot be patient and control your emotions, they will play for you.
And in these cases the result is always disastrous.
8. Don’t get obsessed with money
If you keep looking at the chips thinking about the cash equivalent, you risk playing in terror of losing money that you don’t have anyway.
Experienced players are used to big losses. They have seen mountains of chips disappear before their eyes. Don’t worry, they too want to win, and it will certainly “burn” them to lose many chips, but they will never show it to you.
Find ways to relax and look at your chips exactly for what they are: plastic pieces.
If you see bills every time you bet on the table, then you have a problem … and everyone will notice.
9. Do not “call” as if there was no tomorrow
You must necessarily learn to “let go”. Many believe that poker is essentially “building a hand”. It is not.
Poker is a constant probability calculation. Poker is a bet, to win some money.
Sometimes you have to know how to stop, and be patient. When you are not convinced of your hand, simply stop.
If every game as if it were the last one, the poker players will understand immediately that they have a chicken in front.
10. Don’t overestimate two cards of the same suit
The first and most spontaneous reaction when receiving cards of the same suit is that of a winning hand.
Nothing is more wrong than overestimating this situation, which may rather lead you to bet more or, even worse, to “hope” for more.
Keep in mind for example that only in about 8% of cases will you be able to make Color. It’s not a high percentage to allow us to party right away, don’t you think?
