The most common mistakes made by beginner players

 

Poker is an activity that deserves study time, where one must always improve, try to play better, understand decisions, minimize losses and maximize profits.

 

Players who normally lose do so because they have some flaws in their game that prevent them from becoming winners. Identifying those mistakes in your game is the first step in getting rid of them.

 

Here we will briefly look at the most common mistakes made by beginner and intermediate players. In later articles we will focus more on each of these leaks and we will know some tools that will help us eliminate them from our game.

 

1. Don't let the ego override a good decision

 

Too often, players sacrifice part of their potential winnings because they want to “prove” something to the other players at the table, or to their circle of poker acquaintances and friends. For them, showing off triumphs more than making the logical move.

 

Those players will call, bet, or raise, instead of folding or checking, simply because they don't want to appear weak. They will do this even when they realize that a passive move is more correct. These types of players will find many other excuses to let their ego override a good decision.

 

2. Tend to think that: "he's probably bluffing"

 

Losing players often lose because they simply cannot resist the demonic thought that their opponent is taking a bluff pot from them.

 

True, even solid play requires a degree of recklessness, but losing play often turns disbelief into a call, rather than a well-reasoned fold.

 

3. Not being aggressive enough with a dominant hand

 

The winning game requires a certain amount of aggressiveness. When this is not understood, losing players often check when they should bet, or when they bet they make it too small, allowing their opponents to make a correct call.

 

Therefore, losing players rarely raise or re-raise when faced with aggression from an opponent, decreasing the amount they win when they actually have a strong hand.

 

4. Not bluffing enough

 

An important sign that identifies a weak player is his stubborn refusal to bluff. Some even brag about it proudly when someone pays attention to them with phrases like, "I never bluff."

 

Although playing very tight mechanically can be a winner against weak players or beginners, this is one of the most exploitable games when faced with someone who has a little more than the basic level.

 

5. Say: "what the hell", and then pay

 

Weak players often blow up any chance of becoming a winning player when they surrender to the so-called "gods of poker."

 

Instead of taking the time and squeezing their brains to determine if an action makes sense, they will end up paying wildly, and hope for the best.

 

6. Relying too often on intuition

 

Have you ever heard someone say "I'm in luck" and then call, bet, or raise? If someone is serious, then this is an unequivocal sign that this player is a total loser, believing that a stroke of luck or fate will minimize the probability of success or failure. (In case it is a good player who says so, then this false tell may precede some move intended to deceive you.)

 

Weak players often remain weak because they spend a lot of time wondering if they have a good or bad run, instead of putting that energy and thought into deciphering which is the right or wrong game.

 

7. Play without a bank

 

Playing consistently with too small a bankroll is usually an indicator of probable failure. This often induces fear when betting or calling, and directly influences optimal play.

 

Although some short-stack strategies can be profitable, playing with a short stack due to lack of capital with the intention of getting a bigger one is usually accompanied by a shyness that makes these players very exploitable.

 

8. Hoping to lose

 

Weak players often reach their true goal in this regard. If you go to a poker game with $ 100 that you don't mind losing, you will probably lose it easily.

 

9. Play too long

 

Weak players often lack the discipline to get up from the table when their ability to develop a correct game has been reduced, or when other objective conditions make it unprofitable for them.

 

Sometimes they believe that their luck is destined to change. Sometimes they think they are playing better than they are. And other times, not having the ability to get up and leave the table when they are losing, they multiply their mistakes by continuing to play when logic says they shouldn't.

 

This type of behavior often turns a moderately bad losing session into a colossal losing session.

 

10. Not making a good game selection

 

Not all poker games are the same. Players often make mistakes by sitting in the wrong game. As if that were not enough, they tend to persist in error by continuing in the game even when opportunities are presented to play in better games.