Novice, or beginner players tend to misinterpret Poker, as a game of luck or bluff. Not realizing it is both. They own their own chip sets, play online daily and think that they can simply take a seat at a table, and be dealt a hand, but then don’t understand why their bankroll is shrinking.
First off, chances are if you are just stepping up to a poker table for the very first time, you have likely learned the game by observing others playing it. This technique of imitation is not entirely wrong, nor is it new. The problem however, with simply imitating a pro and their strategy lies in whether or not you truly understand their moves, and most importantly why they have chosen to make them.
There is a fine line between learning the game and just copying what you see another more experienced player doing. In just copying, you find yourself in a predictable and vulnerable state, allowing seasoned players to prey on your every move, and know exactly what the next one in the pattern will be. Unlike at home, these clay poker chips equal real money losses, so it is in your best interest to fully understand what it is you are doing when you do it, and why.
Another pitfall that a novice player finds themselves guilty of is over bluffing. Veteran players can smell this from a mile away. This usually goes hand and hand with the inability to control your emotions at the table and each aide and abed the other in a dead giveaway for the more savvy player. While bluffing is a definite way to hold onto your Texas holdem poker chips, when misused and executed without confidence, can be fatal.
Keeping your Las Vegas cool, is key to keeping your Las Vegas chips. Which brings us to our final and probably most technical common mistake made. Which is understanding and calculating pot odds. Even the best of the best at times neglect to do this one on occasion. Understanding normal pot odds is easy enough. It’s the implied odds that can be tricky.
When calculating normal pot odds, simply divide the amount of money in the pot, by the bet you need to place in order to remain in the game. Implied odds is making a calculated assumption that after you call, a few more poker chips will be thrown in, in order to up the anty. This is a calculated guessing game more or less, all to often beginners make the mistake of using it to justify staying in a hand even with poor cards.
Utilizing the knowledge of these very common mistakes when stepping up to a poker table will help you be more prepared. It will also give you the building blocks with which to form a stronger foundation in order to create a strategy to the game that will be the key factor in just how successful of a player you can truly become.