The word “skill” is most often used in a positive way. If you are a skilled basketball player, then chances are that you know how to play the game. Likewise, if you are a skilled poker player, there’s a definite chance that you’re a good player.
However, some players interpret certain poker skills in the wrong way and end up hurting their game as a result. This isn’t to say they’re bad players….they are just misguided on how to use the skills that they’ve acquired.
For instance, many Limit Hold’em players commit the mistake of folding big hands every time they’re in a bad call situation. They think that by folding this big hand, they’re actually making a skilled play. But the reality is that they’re only hurting their bankroll by doing this every time.
To illustrate this point, let’s say you’re holding J-J on the river in a $1/$2 Limit Hold’em game. The board reads Qs-Jd-10h-9s-7c and there’s $30 in the pot. Your opponent bets $4 and you’re forced to make a decision on whether or not to call. You have trips, but there is a very good straight possibility on the board. In this satiation, a fold would be considered the skilled move because your trips are no good against a straight. However, folding a big hand here with only a $4 call to make would be a mistake because you only need to win in this situation 1 out of 7 times to make a profit. Therefore, the skilled play is actually to call.
Another example of where a player might think they’re making a skilled play is the check-raise. In reality, average players misuse this play more than any other in poker because they overuse it. And the truth is that you should only use a check-raise if you’ve got a realistic chance to make your opponent fold – it’s not a default move!
There are plenty of other “skills” like this that people use time and time again thus fooling themselves into thinking they’re a good player. But the key is not to fall into the trap of thinking that a certain play has to be used every time in a certain situation.
