Free Online Poker Guide To 2 Beginners Poker Errors
There are endless types of errors and mistakes waiting for you when you play poker but today we’ll highlight a couple of the really big, what can be called “strategic” level, errors. Not ones like calling when you should fold and that sort of “per hand” error but the sort of mistake that can destroy your bankroll and make you a long term loser. Doing them in free poker online games, is bad though at least you’ll only lose your virtual currency, but should you repeat them in real money games it can get messy.
The good news is that they are not hard to fix as they are psychological not skill related and once recognised are not so hard to stop.
1. You are losing but keep playing to try and make the losses back.
A huge beginner error that gets made time and time again. The reality is that if you are having a losing run it will most likely continue if you don’t stop.
As a beginner you don’t have the basic concepts of poker very well established in your head, and you probably haven’t read any strategy guides or lessons on poker yet, or if you have the information is still very shallow and unpractised. These shortfalls in basic knowledge and practice are nearly always the reason for the losing streak.
Experienced poker players can and do have bad streaks but they know it will not last. They will be confident in their skill and ability and know that if they keep playing sensibly, that they will come out ahead.
In contrast, beginners who keep playing into a losing sequence will nearly always find it gets worse. If you are losing the majority of your hands it is time to stop and figure out why.
In most case it is down to bad play. Bad calls, going allin with a marginal hand, getting annoyed (tilting) and playing silly hands and giving all your chips away…and many more
So, if you are in a losing streak, take a break and review your game, to see more where the leaks are.
2. I am in the money now! Now you can close down and go watch TV.
Being ‘In the money’ means that you have reached the stage in a tournament where you will get a prize. For example – You are playing a freeroll. There are 300 signups and the 75th gets $0.02 and the 1st $30. Once the field is down to 75 players left, if you are one of them then you are guaranteed a prize.
In our example freeroll here, it’s a deep stack and we have been playing for say 4 hours. With 76 players left you are scraping with just 2000 chips left and blinds of 500/1000. You know you have to survive to get paid for so many hours of playing. Then a player is knocked out, 75 left, you’re in the money!
‘Nice’ you say, ‘I can go to watch TV now!’. Of course you can, but really, after playing for hours are you going to be happy with probably only $0,02? You’re basically giving up after reaching a minor way point. That’s not really good.
If you make it to the money, even if you are weak, please, please keep playing – why not?! If you close your poker client just after the last non-paid player is eliminated, you are likely to be eliminated very soon, and you’ll get the smallest prize of all.
But, consider this: Next, you get a good hand and go all-in in your last shoot and get doubled up. Then you’ll be a lot better off and who knows maybe be able to double up again and advance on as more players are knocked out.
If you can get to above average on the chip stack you can start to steal blinds. Some of the others will now fear your all in. Play well and get some good cards and you could make final table and a decent pay off.
It’s just a small change in mental approach but one that can make a giant difference to your poker fortunes. You don’t have anything to lose playing a little more instead go and doing something else.
I summary – never think you’re finished, try to go a step further…and then another. If you don’t then, especially if you play cash tournaments, the opportunity cost of the tiny wins that didn’t become big wins will erode your bankroll.
Remember, you always need to aim for the sky and go for the big hits, much of the time you’ll fall short but, just occasionally, you’ll make the money short stacked, power on through it and come out with a big win, and oh boy is that good!
Good luck at the tables and be sure to practice on the free poker online games trainiing tables first before risking real money.