By now, pretty much everyone who takes up the game of poker puts some effort into learning strategy for the game before hitting the felt. But just because you’re learning strategy doesn’t mean that you won’t still lose concentration and make beginner mistakes at the table. With that in mind, here are 3 big mistakes you should be aware of so you can avoid making them in games.
Falling in love with a hand
We all know that AA, KK, and QQ are considered premium hands and warrant jamming the pot pre-flop. However, some players will not only jam the pot pre-flop, but also continue jamming the pot even if their hand goes sour later on down the line. It’s important to realize that, even though these are great starting hands, they’re just a pair and can easily be beaten down the line. Don’t be afraid to fold your pocket aces if you’ve got a good mind that someone has you beat on the turn or river.
Betting too much on drawing hands
Getting a flush or straight draw is definitely a good thing when you can control the pot and get a lot of players in on the action. However, some players like to treat drawing hands like they are a made hand which can really come back to bite a person in the end. If the price is too steep on a drawing hand then fold, and make sure to avoid large bets and raises on paired boards.
Using blind aggression
We’ve all heard that most of the good players are aggressive ones. However, there’s nothing worse than somebody who mistakes aggression for being a maniac. You should never make thoughtless big raises and bets just because you want to appear aggressive. There needs to be some method to your bets and raises, and you need to know your opponents before doing so.
