The most common mistake that a beginning poker player makes is playing too many hands. When we go into a casino or sit in our chair online and start in a game, we WANT to play NOW. Whether it has been 10 min or 10 days we want back in the action and to continue to make money, however playing junk hands will cost you money and you can take that advice to the bank. Always remember your starting hands are supposed to be premium, don’t settle for less in your ring game. (We mention ring game because tournament play is a whole different monster)
What should go without saying is you should never ever play above your bankroll. Sometimes the gambling and money aspect of poker gets to players too much. They become greedy and play in games they cannot afford or games where the competition is simply too tight. In the beginning, you will want to stick to a consistent, low limit until you win 8 out of 10 games and never finish out of the money in tournaments. In ring games over the course of a month, you will need to just make money consistently over the course of several months. You should always want to learn how to play and beat the game before you move up in higher stakes games.
The third mistake is “becoming to emotional” at the table. You need to understand the nature of the beast. Some or all of these things will and do happen like bad beats, losing session and of course one of my all time favorites: other players that are annoying or loud. How about a dealer that just cost you the entire pot because, he or she flipped up one of your cards on the deal? Live with it and do not let your emotions change your judgment at the table. Don’t bang the dealer either, it won’t do ya any good.
The next biggest mistake is not using pot odds. If your hand needs to improve, pot odds can help you determine if you should call to see the next card or to fold. Very few beginning players understand pot odds and they will often call too much, not realizing that they are in a losing battle of the odds.
Another mistake (while playing online) is using the standard 2 color deck. When most people think of cards they think of the standard two color deck and red and black is truly a thing of the past when it comes to online play. Some online poker rooms give you two display choices for your cards: the traditional two-color deck and a four-color deck. A four-color deck would have four unique colors for the four suits, like black spades, red hearts, green clubs, and blue diamonds. While this will seem strange at first, it will make things much easier on you with time.
Believe me, if you use a two-color deck, there is a good chance that you will at some point 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 you from making this stupid mistakes.
Until next time…Be patient, play within your limits and OBSERVE the game as in many cases half of what you ever learn about the game will be DURING the game.
Take care!
