Don’t do that!
Nobody likes to be told what to do, so I figured I would tell you what not to do. When you’re a poker beginner there are plenty of mistakes that will cost you money, and hopefully you will be able to weed them out of your game as you gain more experience.
I’m going to share with you five things you might be doing that are hurting your poker game. Here we go.
1. DON’T play too many hands: This is probably one of the most common mistakes made by new players. Poker is supposed to be fun, but if your idea of fun is playing every hand, then you had better stick to play money or have an unlimited bankroll. A friend of mine told me once he always plays 5-9 even though it’s not a great hand because it has a straight option on the flop that nobody at the table could put him on. Here’s how I tried to explain to him why it wasn’t worth playing. The odds of you flopping a straight with those cards are a lot higher than 50 to 1, but let’s use that number as an example since it’s easy to work with. With 50 to 1 odds we’re assuming you’ll flop the straight once in 50 times you play the hand. So 49 times you play the hand you’re probably just giving away your money by betting.
2. DON’T use auto play buttons: They may be there for your convenience, but you won’t find them too convenient when you accidentally click the wrong button and it costs you a big pot or a big stack of chips. Auto play buttons are also widely known as online poker tells. If you click the check button as soon as the flop hits because you have nothing, many players will pick this up as a sign of weakness and bet you off the pot. Auto clicking “bet” or “call” could mean you have something and scare off players looking for tells. Using auto play takes away slow play and weakens your arsenal.
3. DON’T show your cards: If you’ve just pulled off a great bluff, don’t reveal it to the rest of the table. Sometimes this could rile up another player and put him on tilt, but more likely a good player will pick up your tactics and use them against you the next time you try and make a similar move. If you have the option to leave your fellow players guessing as to what cards you have, take it every time.
4. DON’T play distracted: If you’re going online to play poker, then play poker. Don’t check the score of the game and read your e-mail and play solitaire all at the same time. If playing poker isn’t enough to hold your interest by itself, don’t be surprised when you don’t have a large stack of chips sitting in front of you. That same friend who loves playing 5-9 told me about his latest horrible poker session the other day. “Well I was watching some baseball while cooking dinner and decided to play a few hands… .” No wonder he crapped out.
5. DON’T copy other players: Just because another player made a great play and stole a bunch of your chips doesn’t mean you should copy his tactic. If your first thought when trying to make a decision at a poker table is ‘what would someone else do’, then you’re way off. You should be thinking ‘what should I do’? This is the best way to build and improve your game. It’s fine to think about what the best move is to throw off your opponent or take his chips, but don’t try and imitate another player’s style or method of play.
