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3 Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make.

January 2, 2009

Poker is a complex game of making the right decisions at the right times. Outside of making the actual mistakes in your decisions at the table on a hand by hand basis, there are things that you can do that are detrimental to both your bankroll, and your game. In the world of poker, there are really three major mistakes that new players make.

The first of these is that they start out playing way too many hands, the second would be playing far over their head in terms of limits, and the third mistake is that they far too often will try to get back even when having a losing session. Here’s a look at these three mistakes more in-depth, avoid these and you’ll be well on your way to giving yourself a chance of becoming and staying a winning player.

1. Playing Far Too Many Hands Before the Flop

This is the absolute most common mistake the new players make. Too often players want to play any hand with a face card, even unsuited hands. This is plain and simple a bad idea. When first starting out, you really only want to be playing the top 10% of hands. Play the obvious monsters like pocket aces, pocket kings, Ace King, and pocket queens. You can also experiment with playing pocket jacks and pocket tens as well as other medium pairs in certain situations. Master playing your monsters first, then you can open up your range and begin to exploit others’ bad play.

2. Playing Over Your Head, and Over Your Bankroll

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself as a poker player, and one that you need to be very honest with yourself about, is if you’re playing the correct limits for your skill level and your bankroll. Everyone wants to hit the big score, however you need to understand that the higher the limits, the better the opponents that you’re going to be facing. There is nothing wrong with taking a shot; however you need to be able to easily drop down without it impacting your ego. I would even recommend taking a session at the free tables, until you feel you are back to playing your best poker. Your bankroll is your poker life blood, and you need to preserve it and watch it grow steadily at all costs.

3. Attempting To Get Back Your Losses

New players will often start hot, and then hit a rough losing streak, the problem is they continue to play and play hoping that they will get back to a hot run. This is often not as easy as it sounds. It is very easy to get caught up in a bad run, and lose your whole bankroll. Avoid putting yourself in situations forcing you to make very tough decisions, and you won’t be faced with chasing your losses. It is much better to get up from the table and take a break and live to fight another day, than it is to continue to play poorly, tilt, and lose your whole bankroll in one session.

We here at Gambling101 strive to bring some of the most solid and sound poker advice to new players and people just starting out their adventure into the game itself. This article is one such piece that can assist in this very process. I hope you enjoyed it!

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