Poker is not the most popular casino game among the masses. It is one that has a more select appeal, with the top online poker sites pulling in people who enjoy a challenging gambling experience.
Those who like playing poker tend to favor it for precisely the opposite reason to fans of slot games. The latter have the most mainstream appeal because they are very easy to play and offer a fast-paced gaming experience.
By contrast poker is a complex and psychological game of skill. Poker games can last for hours at a time and success involves being able to think several steps ahead.
Very few people can master poker without a lot of study and practice. Trying to compete against good players when you are not absolutely sure what you are doing is a recipe for disaster.
One of the first steps in getting better at poker is learning what not to do. In this article we will explore some of the mistakes that people make at the poker tables that cost them dearly.
Betting on too Many Hands
This is a very common error indeed among inexperienced players. A big part of the thinking behind it is that there is no chance of winning the pot if you are not in the game.
That is entirely the wrong way of viewing the situation though. The key to success in a game like poker lies in knowing when to attack and when to withdraw.
There is very little chance that you will win out in poker if you have a basically weak hand of cards. Your only viable route to success in that situation is to bluff and that is a tactic that should be used sparingly unless you are brilliant at it.
Folding is not just the best tactic when you have a really low value hand though. Something like a Straight (five sequential cards from any of the four suits) is not a terrible hand.
If you are up against an opponent who keeps seeing or raising your bets though, there is a good chance that they have a stronger hand. That is because there are several poker hands that can beat a Straight.
You have to make a judgment about when to quit based on analyzing the behavior of the other players.
Not Betting on Enough Hands
At this point it might seem as if we are offering contradictory advice, but good poker is about getting the balance right. Folding on too many hands can be just as bad a way of playing the game as betting on too many.
It is known among skilled players as ‘playing too tight’ and it causes people to lose out on smaller wins that can keep their bankroll topped up. The way to avoid it is to mix up your play on strong hands and your bluff plays.
If you have a strong but not exceptional hand such as a Flush (any five cards from the same suit), it can be well worth playing that hand. There are only four that can beat it and they come up pretty rarely during poker games.
A hand like that gives you a solid chance of a win in most scenarios. Then shake things up with the occasional bluff play on a poor hand. This will keep your opponents off balance and stop predictability from creeping into your game.
Cold Calling Raises
This big poker mistake involves calling the raises of more than one player at a time during a game. A typical scenario would see one player raise, followed by another upping the ante further in response to that and then you simply calling.
The problem with it as a strategy is that it makes little sense. If you do not have enough confidence in your hand to raise, there is little point in calling.
The best thing to do is cut your losses and fold. Continuing to play without raising the stakes is a show of weakness and is undisciplined.
Sticking to the Same Strategy
It is good to have a strategy to your poker play – without it you will just be responding in the moment. Where it becomes a problem is when you get complacent and stick with the same approach at all times.
That could be a high-risk bluffing strategy or a lower risk tight game, but no approach will work well in all scenarios. Poker is a game that will throw up many challenges and you cannot win all the time by playing exactly the same way.
Good players will quickly identify your approach and will read you like a book if you are not capable of changing it.
These are the mistakes to avoid making when playing poker.
