The 5 Most Common Mistakes by Poker Amateurs

Embarking on the poker journey? Be aware of the pitfalls! Today we explore the five most common mistakes made by poker amateurs when playing poker online and in person. 

1 Playing Too Many Hands

The most common mistake I see made by poker amateurs is playing too many hands. When you’re new to poker, it can be tempting to want to be part of the action and play your hands. The problem with doing so is that they will become easily exploitable for the more experienced players.

How Do You Remedy This?

• Understand the starting hand values of hands – Once you understand the strengths of the starting hands, you are ready to begin your poker journey, whether you play for fun, micro stakes or more seriously.
• Understand position at the poker table – Then with that understanding, you build in your position at the poker table. The later position you are sat in, the more options you have. The later position you have at the poker table, the wider the range of hands you can play.
• Appreciate the reason and intention as to why you are entering a pot – This brings an intention when entering a flop, and it is so important you have a plan in your mind for the potential decisions you will be asked by your opponents.
• Appreciate the time aspect of the tournament – Understand the blind structure of the tournament, this time aspect will also affect when and how you play your hands.
• Understand the image you have created – Finally, any image you have created during the game can be exploited for gain with those other four fundamentals discussed. In fact, on occasion, if you have a tight image for later in an event and then you can play a few too many hands.

2 Don’t Expect Immediate Results

There are no quick fixes when you play poker. It takes time and patience while learning the multi-facets of the game you need to find the necessary improvement. For that reason, you must start in the lower games against players of similar standards and move through the levels.

If you want to get rich quick, poker is not the game. It takes a lifetime to master.

3 Never Play In a Bad Mood

A game of poker sets a few challenges for the players over an extended period of time. This means the most important feeling you need while playing is patience. The run of the cards can be very cruel at times, and if you enter a game in a bad mood, it will test that patience further.

Playing poker while in a bad mood is called “tilt” and that feeling can be exacerbated further during the game.

If your anxiety feels high on a particular day, then poker is the wrong choice of game.

4 Plan your Bankroll

A common mistake by poker amateurs is to not understand the bankroll required for poker. Like all card games, poker has an element of luck to it, especially in the short term. That short-term bad luck can have extended periods so it’s important to understand your bankroll and how to manage it.

My recommendations for this are that, for argument’s sake, if you are playing a $10 tournament make sure your bankroll is x100 that value, so $1000 theoretically. That might seem a little drastic, but it’s important that when you play poker you have a clear mindset, which will naturally enable you to make the best and optimum decisions.

5 Find a Method You Can Trust

The overall thesis for becoming a better poker player and avoiding the most common mistakes made by amateurs is that you need to find a method you trust.

Poker is a game that, with experience, you will naturally get better and improve. If you combine all four of the common mistakes mentioned above. Then we believe you have the fundamentals required to become a winning poker player long-term.

In summary, long term, if you avoid all these amateur mistakes, then with a method you trust you can have much fun playing poker long term while also making profit.