Mistakes Beginning Poker Players Make
It doesn’t matter how good a poker player is, at some point that player was a beginner and made mistakes the same as other poker players. There are many mistakes players make while they are learning to become better players. Let’s take a look at a few:
Playing Without Sufficient Bankroll
In order to be able to withstand the swings associated with any game of poker you play, you need to have a bankroll that is sufficient for the game. If you are a limit player, it is recommended that you have 300 to 500 big bets in your bankroll. For a $2-$4 game, you should look at having a bankroll of $1,200 to $2,000. If you are in a NL game, you should have about 25 to 50 times the buy-in amount for your game in your bankroll. For a $100 buy-in game, that is $2,500 to $5,000.
Assuming One Way to Play is the Only Way
There are many different ways to approach the game. Some people will assume that you need to play the game according to the way a particular book states. This is not true. Poker is ever evolving and players that fail to mix up their game and think outside of the box will never succeed.
Sticking to One Form of Poker
While Texas Holdem is the most popular form of poker, it is not the only form of poker out there. There are income opportunities in just about any form of poker if you know how to play the game. At a bare minimum you should learn how to play Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo as well as Seven Card Stud. If you are an online player, you need to focus on all forms of poker. You will find that in some cases that the games in non-Holdem games are much juicier than the Holdem tables.
Letting Your Emotions Control Your Play
Many players will abandon their normal style of play after taking some bad beats. They get upset and decide to play as poorly as other players or they decide to play a style that isn’t consistent to winning. They then lose even more money and leave more frustrated. You need to realize that bad beats are a part of the game and teach yourself how to play optimum poker at all times. If you still are unable to control your emotions, you need to learn to quit the game after you get upset.
Playing Too Tight
While playing “tight is right,” playing too tight will make your style of play obvious to your opponents. You need to mix up your play dependent on your position at the table and the style that your table is playing. If your table is relatively rocky, loosen up your game. If the game is mega-loose, then is the time to rock up. Playing too tight will at best leave you winning just a small profit and at worst allow your opponents to take advantage of you when they catch when playing garbage.
Not Studying
If you take poker seriously, the one thing you should do is start studying. This includes reading books, watching videos, attending seminars and doing anything that you can to improve your game. Do your research to determine which books are best to help you at your game. Not all poker books are created equal and some books that were great 10 years ago are not as relevant now. Definitely read Super System and most anything by Sklansky. Also, if you are a tournament player, read Dan Harrington’s books.
Every poker player makes mistakes in the beginning. If they didn’t, the better players wouldn’t have anyone to take money off of. Think about your own poker game and if you recognize that you are making any of the above mistakes, take steps to correct the problem.
- James Guill
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