Texas hold em mistakes

Since poker has become a fashion phenomenon, it is understandable that online poker rooms, and even normal live-poker tables are full of new players. Every day, a lot of experienced and new poker players are playing for hours without realizing that they repeat the the same mistakes over and over again. These beginner mistakes, are something professional players have usually already learned not to do, but something the new ones haven't yet been able to grasp.

These are the most common mistakes in texas holded. Players with loads of experience might actually still be doing them so read on and you'll be able to avoid them. If you are short on time just jump straight to SUMMARY to see how to avoid them.

Know thy rules
Start from low, or micro-limit tables
Stay calm
Don't be an ape
Not all at once
Don't Drink and Play
Don't "Overbluff"
Summary

Know the rules

Lets use Jeff and Bob as example players to give a better picture. Jeff being an ace at poker and Bob being a total newbie.
The most common mistake Bob (new player) can do is not to know what a good starting hand is. Bob could for example play Seven card stud without knowing the the rules, thus not knowing what hand is a good one and what is bad.

Bob could for example try to play a very weak hand such as 2-5-8, all of different trade, without even knowing that it is a bad choice. This hand is something Jeff, our poker-ace, would not do because he knows that such hand is very hard to improve during the course of the game. Still, Bob would, time, after time, after time, try to do miracles with it, giving enough time for Bob, he would probably win a bit, but he would already have spent a fortune.

NOTE: learn the rules

Starting with way  too big limits

Another mistake our poor Bob could make is try to play poker at tables with too high stakes, right from the start. Bob could for example go for £5-£10 limit tables with a low, £100 game cash and no skills. Jeff could do that, but would not, though he has skills, but Jeff also knows that the better choise would go play at £1-£3 table instead. The basic rule of thumb is to have about 50 times bigger game cash than the buy-in/ante is, altough it is even better to have 100 times the big blind. In this case our Bob should take his £100 to quarter-to-pound (£0.25-£1) table.

Always try to find a suitable table for you, with the limits that are not too high. It is pure madness to try to play with a very limited amount of cash against the "big" players that have 10 times more cash in the game than you. This is simply because you might have to wait a while to get a hand that is worth playing, and also you just do not represent any kind of threat to them.

NOTE:choose your limits depending on your cash

Loss of nerves

This have happened before and will happend again, in poker this is a pure fact. New players WILL do the same mistakes experienced and professional players have done before, call it evolution or whatever you like but it is still a fact.

Loss of nerves and emotional attitude towards the game will be something every player will experience at some point. Getting too emotional is once more a mistake Bob-the-newbie would do. Believe it or not for Jeff, it would be just another day at the office if he would loose 4-10 hands in row, Jeff knows that it could happend so he will not get angry and will stay focused on the game. Bob on the other hand would probably smash his keyboard through his monitor.

Loosing is something Bob is not accustomed to and so, instead of taking it easy he will forget all he has learned so far and lose even strong hands. Letting emotions into your game is one of the greatest mistakes Bob can make, he'll start swearing in the chat and go systematicly through all the poker forums he can find to let his "steam" out, thus Bob will get a "steamer" label on his forhead. Poor Bob!

NOTE: stay calm, stay focused, loosing a bit is just a part of the game.

Imitating others actions

Some people, like Bob here, might do the same thing small children do when they are at a certain age. He could start mimicin the actions of other players, usually those who have kicked his backside in poker, like Jeff would probably do, being an ace and all ;). Bob will start doing the same moves Jeff does without having a slightest clue on WHY Jeff does those "moves".

Learning from the other players is not wrong, but as long as Bob does not know why Jeff go's "all-in" in a certains situation, Bob should not try the same, he might get lucky, but he will most likely only loose all his cash that way.

Good players are not mind readers or gods, though sometimes they might seem to be. Every good player has his own share of bad days and mindless copying of the action of other players without understangind why they do what they do will only do harm to your game.

NOTE:Learn the game, don't just "copy-paste"

Too long sessions

Playing holdem for hours in a row is once more something Bob is very likely to do. The effects of this are quite severe, Bob will start losing his consertration without even noticing it, as a result of this, Bob will start making serious mistakes that he actually knows how to avoid. Jeff on the other hand, knows that he needs his rest and knows when he is too tired to continue playing a good hold'em game.

Bob being mostly online hold'em player is even more exposed to overdose of poker than those playing offline. Bob would probably consider playing poker a way of relaxation and sit in front of his monitor 3-4 hours at a time. What Bob does not relize is that he actually tires himself staring at the monitor for that long. Human physiology is simply not accustomed to sitting infront of the screen for a long time staring at the monitor, we need our rest, we need to move around sometimes and we need food.

There is nothing wrong in playing poker 3-4 hours a day, even Jeff does it, but in sequences of 1 hour at a time, because he wants to be able to consentrate when he plays.

NOTE: Don't play too much at a time, you will loose your focus.

Alcohol & Poker

Bob likes beer, he likes it a lot, Bob also likes playing Texas Hold'em, and obviously he tends to do both at the same time. This is why Bob tends to loose. Alcohol and poker do not match, period. I dont have any issues with alcohol, neither does Jeff but we both know not to let alcohol affect our judgement at the poker table. Hold em, just like any other poker game is a skill game, alcohol is known to have an affect on judgement and actions.

Its much like driving a car, well not that much, but it's dependent on the skill of the player in the same way diving depends on the skill of the driver, and you would not drive your car under the influence, would you? Though consequences might not be as serious, it will still create a negative efffect on your game, so don't do it.

NOTE:Dont drink and drive or drink and play poker

Over bluffing

Bob plays holdem, and he also thinks that he is a good bluffer. What Bob does not know is that he actually is a terrible bluffer. Actualy Bob bluffs in every game! Which is much more than he should. Jeff knows this and Jeff has learned that Bob has no idea when to bluff or not, in other word Bob has lost all hes credibility in the eyes of Jeff, which means that bluffing does not work for Bob anymore.

The problem is, that it is very, very easy to start bluffing in online holdem games, no-one can see your reactions, you do not have to answer to any questions in the chat and can even use chat for creating 'bluff-situations', but though it all sounds warm and fuzzy, all other players know this too, thus using this method of playing too often at the same table will eventually,  and frankly quite fast, ruin your game totally. So, though temptation is great, try to avoid excessive use of bluffing, because after all, it is just one way of playing the game that can be played in many different ways.

NOTE: Do not try to bluff with every hand

Bob and Jeff can go now, but I would like to make one more point; These mistakes, are, believe it or not, made by old, new and sometimes even professional players. To become a serious and eventually very good player, learning to avoid these mistakes is step one, because just like i said before; No-one becomes a star player over night.

NOTE: No Bobs or Jeff were hurt during the writing of this article, I actually don't even know any Bob or Jeff...

Thank you for reading and I hope these few tips will imporve your game! Here is a summary for all of you who "had no time" to read the whole thing:

Summary

1. Learn the rules
2. Choose your limits depending on your cash
3. Stay calm, stay focused, loosing a bit is just a part of the game.
4. Learn the game, don't just "copy-paste"
5. Don't play too much at a time, you will loose your focus.
6. Don't drink and drive or drink and play poker
7. Do not try to bluff with every hand