7 Common Mistakes That New Players Must Avoid

Poker is a tricky game to master. Learning the rules of poker games only takes a few days, but learning to play poker games well enough to mint profit can be daunting. From understanding the statistics behind the game to learning how to bluff effectively, there’s a lot for new poker players to learn.

Online Poker is getting extremely popular and competitive these days; it is indeed one of the most favored card games online today. To achieve long-term success in this game, it is very important and essential to constantly work towards improving your techniques and strategy. Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process, but if you make the same mistakes over and over, it can start to hold you back. Listed below are a few common mistakes that new players must avoid while playing online poker.

1. Playing Too Many Hands

This is the most common mistake amateur players make when they are in their learning phase. If you play every hand, you will end up losing more money. You should learn when to quit, i.e., what poker hands to play and which hands to fold so that you don’t run out of money. So, practice patience as playing more hands does not help you win more money.

Related Post – Guide to Poker Hand Rankings (Strongest to Weakest)

2. Playing Your Hands & Not Your Opponents

If you try to overcompensate after playing too many hands and start only playing your premium holdings, your results will suffer. Learning to adjust your play depending on the climate of your table is essential to becoming a winning player. With experience, this will gradually start to come naturally, and new players will gain an understanding of how to exploit their opponents without having to rely on superior cards.

3. Lack of Observation & Practice

Do not forget to observe your opponent’s game plan. You need to keep a close eye and monitor their moves on the table. When you play online poker, you need to analyze the opponent’s style and betting pattern to excel in the game. Also, with observation, remember practice makes gameplay perfect. If you are playing with real stakes, it is necessary to earn skill and expertise in the game to save maximum points. To gain that expertise and get an understanding of the techniques, you can play free poker games available online. Try out Pocket52’s freeroll poker tournaments & practice games here.

Related Post – Pocket52 Strategy: 5 Poker Tips for Playing On The Bubble

4. Bluffing

Bluffing is significantly a small part of the game and it is not necessary to implement it in every hand you play. Bluffing is a strategy to make your opponent enter the pot or leave the table under the assumption that you have a worse/better hand (depending on the situation). If you bluff in every game, it makes you predictable and easy to read. A bluff should be based on your position at the table, bet size, and your opponent’s experience and skillsets.

5. Poor Bankroll Management

Bankroll management is one of the biggest aspects of becoming a pro poker player from a noob. Most of us do not have unlimited money to play on the tables. Learning to play only poker games that you can afford is key to becoming a great player. Never play with that money that you can’t afford to lose. Basically only use the money in poker that you have kept aside, otherwise don’t play. Choose your games/buy-in according to your bankroll. For example: If you have an X amount, then you should play a table whose maximum buy-in is Y, where Y = X/20, so you should have at least 20 times the maximum buy-in of the table you are sitting on. For tournaments, you should only play tournaments of Z amount, where Z = X/50.

6. Letting Emotions Affect Your Play-Tilt

If you have ever played poker you’ve likely experienced tilt. Tilt is a poker term for a state of mental or emotional confusion or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in the player becoming over-aggressive. Tilt can be a serious problem for both amateurs and experienced players alike, as we are all only human. However, if you can learn to control your emotions at the table and avoid tilting at all costs, you’ll have a leg up on your opponents when it comes to mastering the game.

7. Don’t Play Poker in Bad Mood

Last but not least. You should never play poker when you are sad or in a bad mood because the game requires you to think strategically and make logical decisions. Thus, it is always advisable to play online poker in a relaxing environment. Mistakes at the poker table can prove costly but as a beginner, you should see them as an opportunity to learn and master the game of skill. Start keeping a track of all the hands you play and try to figure out your strong and weak spots in the game. If you want to be a successful online poker player, make sure to avoid the above mistakes and employ critical thinking, patience, planning, and discipline in your game.