Common Texas Holdem Mistakes
Having a solid starting hand foundation and the skills needed be a competitive player probably rank at the top in terms of the most important things you can do for your Texas hold’em game. There are however, other ways to tackle the problems you might be having in your game.
Rather than focusing on what you should be doing in hold’em, take some time to focus on what you shouldn’t be doing.
In this article we have compiled a list of things you absolutely should avoid while playing Texas hold’em and these mistakes are common in many holdem poker players. See, you might have all the tricks of the trade in terms of discipline, reading players and technical skill and using pot odds correctly, but if you are making the mistakes we’re about to talk about, then you are leaking profit away. Focus on plugging the leaks and you’ll make more money, simple as that.
Holdem Mistakes in Aggression
The biggest mistake we are talking about here is calling or cold calling raises. Believe it or not both of these (most of the time) are simply not the right moves.
Lets start with cold calling raises. Cold calling is the dumbest move you can make in hold’em hands down.
Let’s analyze what you are saying to an opponent who raised when you cold call them:
You have a better hand than me and I know this, but the thing is, I think I might be able to draw out on you and get lucky. I certainly can’t beat your hand as it sits so I can’t raise, I better just call.
Wow. What a powerful statement! Honestly, why wouldn’t you just give the aggressor your money and fold the hand? It would be the cheaper option. The next time you are about to cold call, ask yourself a few questions.
- Would this player really be betting or raising with a hand less powerful than my own?
- If I re-raise is there a chance the player will fold?
Usually the answer to those questions is no, so make it easy on yourself and the next time you are in a situation like this, just fold. You’ll save yourself lots of money.
Calling is Often a Mistake
Quickly we will address calling as well. Even calling pre flop is usually kind of a mistake. Obviously there are times when it is the best move, the point however is this:
In poker, aggression makes money, while passiveness costs money.
The naturally correct move is always to bet or raise. The next time you just want to “see the flop” for cheap and are considering calling, step back and ask yourself why you aren’t raising. Calling is a move in poker that should be used to save you money. Do not call simply to try and get lucky, rather use it as a strategically sound move to save money and increase your chances of winning the hand.
Mistakes When Bluffing
Believe it or not when you are first starting out at hold’em or playing frequently in the low limits, too much bluffing is usually a mistake. You will often deprive yourself of critical bankroll monies by sticking with bluffs too long and by doing it too often. Do yourself a favor right now and drop the idea of fancy Vegas style bluffs and moves and rather focus on solid game play and good technique.
You could never bluff once in low limit hold em and you would be just fine if you had everything else in line.
Take some time to heavily scrutinize how often you call and cold call in addition to how often you are trying to get sneaky and you might see the opportunity for massive improvements in your game. Remember, hold’em is a game of long term skill. You need to have all your holes plugged in order to truly maximize your profit potential.
Be sure you browse through our constantly growing selection of poker strategy articles designed for both the beginner and intermediate skill level players. We also have extensive reviews of some of the best poker training schools online like Poker VT and CardRunners for more advanced poker information. If you are new to holdem or new to texas holdem online then learn all of the texas holdem basics before playing real money poker. When you are ready to begin, make a deposit at Bodog Poker and start playing!
