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.
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Thoughts on No Limit Tournament Play
It’s probably not time sensitive to talk about the “poker boom” or the “poker explosion” anymore. The hard truth is that poker has grown exponentially over the past ten years, so despite the fact that various poker old timers and Industry stalwarts are shaking in their boots over the new infusion of young players and technological savvy online players, the hard facts suggest that a new breed of players are in town and there is little that can be done to stop them.
That’s right, Doyle Brunson type “cowboys” aren’t the biggest threat at the table anymore; instead, young and ultra aggressive super players are all the rage. To make matters worse, the reason they are all the rage is because the playing style works and it is very effective.
Dealing with New Hyper Aggressive No Limit Tournament Poker Players
To say the new style tournament player is aggressive and unyielding would probably be an understatement. Can you keep up with this new breed of player? Are you aggressive yourself? Are you able to disconnect yourself from your money and your emotions and make gutsy moves?
Let’s look at some ideas for improving your no limit tournament play in the modern era.
Aggressive and without question
Putting people to hard decisions has long been the staple of good no limit tournament play. The thought here is if you haven’t made your opponent gravely consider whether or not they should continue in the hand, then you may have done something wrong! Nowadays however these types of moves come up even more often. You’ll see great, big name players pushed to the edge of their sanity by others who simply never back off and always push the limits, and it is even more common when playing online poker tournaments on sites like PokerStars.com and Full Tilt. We’ve recently added a translation of our very popular PokerStars download page here for Portuguese players looking to descargas Pokerstars.
The key here however is to know your opponents so well and to be able to read the board good enough that you can make calculated moves that will increase your chances of winning. Oh yeah, and it also helps to have guts of steal. Not only is it important that you be able to put players on decisions, it is important you know what to do when you are staring down a stack sized raise from a new hot shot as well:
- Replay the hand in your head to this point. Is this player known for wild deception or bluffing? What did their pre flop actions say about their hand?
- Is a semi bluff possible here? If you come back over the top is it possible you could win, or is the only way you will win to pick up another card? If it’s the later, then you can probably fold. If however you have something that could win or turn into something even better, then you should probably play back. Play back strong though; calling most likely won’t get you any brownie points for future rounds. A raise however will do a couple things. It tells your opponent you mean business and your opponent’s response will give you even more information about their hand.
- Lastly, realize that these players are capable of anything. Put your self in the same mindset and do something groundbreaking.
The truth of the matter is that anyone entering the tournament circle today needs to be more aggressive and cunning than ever before. Also, if you don’t have the guts for no limit poker, then please stay away from both the online and live tournament circuits. These sharks will eat you alive. All is not lost though, these tactics – and even guts – can be learned, but it will take some time grinding it out at low limit games where the loss of money is low.
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Trips Not as Good as A Set
A common error I see rookie (and veteran) players make all the time is over valuing trips on a draw heavy board and especially failing to see the difference in hand strength between trips and a set. The best way will be to show an example.
Hand 1: Flopping Trips
In the big blind you get to see the flop against 3 others with a hand like 
The flop comes 
Here, you flop trips by having 1 of the kind in your hand and the other two on the board. This is not as powerful of a hand as when you flop a set (which is explained below) because it is obvious to all the players that three of a kind is now a possibility so they better be able to beat that if they are to put in a lot of money, right?
And on this flop, it is very draw heavy. While trips are probably the best hand right here, you need to be very careful if a turn card comes in scary and one of your opponents puts in very large bets. You very well are way behind. Now, a hand you hope someone is holding is a hand like 
and the turn is the Jack where they hit their hand but you hit a bigger hand. If, however the turn is a card like 
and there is a lot of action to you, you need to play cautiously. Your hand is probably no longer the best, unless you are in a pretty wild game.
Hand 2: Flopping a Set
A set is when you hold a pocket pair and hit a third on the flop. Suppose you have 
(aka Phil Hellmuths pocket 9’s that he won the WSOP with).
and the flop comes 
In this hand, you’ve flopped a set and the board is less draw heavy than before. Here your hand is the best unless someone is holding two jacks. There are some straight draws, like 
that could come in to beat you, but at least there are not any flush draws or any made straights as of yet. You can get your chips in here happily against all but the rockiest of rocks and still against them most of the time too.
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How To Play Small Pocket Pairs Pre-flop
Sitting in a late position and carrying pocket aces into the flop is a great opportunity to not only steal blinds, but also to draw others into the pot. Big pairs make the pre-flop action easy to toy with. However, playing small pairs pre-flop isn’t nearly as simple, even if you have position on everyone else.
Today, we’ll explain how to ride your small pocket pairs into the flop and how to know when it’s better to fold. Your chip stack, position, and raise strategy all play key roles in leading the table and having a chance to flop your set. For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to consider deuces through sixes “small.”
Small Pairs With A Small Chip Stack
Let’s suppose you’re in an early position coming off $2-$4 blinds. You have a small chip stack compared to everyone else, so you don’t have a lot of room to chase flops. You’re dealt pocket fives.
In this scenario, there’s no reason to fold (yet) and calling is a bad idea. If you call, you’ll lose control and have to play catch-up to the action coming back around to you. A good tactic is to throw out a standard raise (i.e. $12). By doing so, you’re sending a message that you holding pocket cards worth a few chips.
If everyone folds off your raise, you’ll walk with the blinds. That’s not bad. An even better situation is when a few players call. That gives you a chance to make a set off the flop. If someone reraises, you’re better off folding. Leaking a few chips is better than busting on a wing and a prayer.
If you’re in a late position with small pairs, you have an advantage. But, that doesn’t mean you’re invincible, even if the action is folding to you. The blinds could be holding stronger pocket cards. If you overbet the flop, you could be asking for trouble.
Small Pairs With A Large Chip Stack
More chips equals more flexibility. You can often use your stack to slowly siphon chips from the smaller stacks by bullying them pre-flop. However, your early position play with small pairs should be the same as if your stack was small. A standard raise off the big blind will push a few players out and give you a chance to see the flop.
If you’re playing in the middle position, watch the action coming toward you, especially when it’s coming from smaller stacks. A large raise from a small stack is a red flag. If you chase it, you’ll get sucked into the flop. If the small stack raiser flops his or her set, you’ll be staring down the barrel of an all-in scenario. That could get expensive given your small pair.
Being in late position with a large chip stack gives you a huge natural advantage. If other players are limping in, push out with a raise at 4 or 5 times the BB. That sets the tone going into the flop. Regardless of what the flop brings, you can fire your second bullet using your position strength and stack as leverage. If you’re lucky, you’ll flop a nice set.
If the action is raising and reraising coming toward you pre-flop, it’s probably better to fold your small pair. Let the others fight it out.
That’s a good primer for playing small pocket pairs pre-flop. The key to profiting from them is to realize how your chip stack, position, and raise strategy can influence the action. Often, that’s all it takes to steal the blinds or scoop the pot.
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How To Steal Blinds In Texas Holdem
Stealing blinds is one of the core fundamentals of playing texas holdem. In loose games with a full table, the blinds won’t matter much. It’s far easier to make money by playing tight and waiting for a strong hand before going after the pot into the flop. But, if you’re in a shorthanded game and your opponents are playing tight, knowing how to steal blinds is valuable. It’s a great way to go after chips uncontested and add to your stack while waiting for your monster hand.
The challenge is that it requires finesse to do it right. Let’s get started.
Know Thy Opponent
Your success in stealing blinds has a lot to do with the type of players you’re up against. For example, calling stations are usually a bad bet. They just want to stay in the game and are always willing to risk a few chips to call your bluff. Even if you’re in a late position, steal attempts often end badly.
By the way, we recently covered texas holdem position strategy. Be sure to go back and read that post if you missed it.
On the other hand, an opponent who’s playing weak-tight is a fantastic candidate. They’ve probably read a few poker books and know something about texas holdem starting hands. They’ll be less inclined to risk their chips on anything but a high pair. That means you can slip through and take the blinds easily.
Bottom line: know your opponents and how they’re playing.
Cultivate Your Image
If other players see you as a loose cannon, it’s going to be a lot tougher for you to steal blinds. The same is true if they consider you to be a perpetual bluffer. It’s like the boy who cried wolf; at some point, your opponents are going to start calling your steal attempts. Your raises will begin to lose credibility.
Now, let’s suppose you’ve been able to build an image as a tight aggressive player. When you raise, your opponents will think you’re holding a good starting hand. They’re less likely to call your bluff. That credibility clears the path for you to steal the blinds.
Cash Game Versus Tournament Blind Stealing
Stealing blinds is usually less important in cash games than tournments; it’s especially true if you’re playing no-limit holdem. In no-limit ring games, the blinds are usually small and seldom worth the effort. It’s easier to play tight and go after the pot with strong hands. Of course, if you’re in a late position and everyone is folding to you, the blinds may be sitting ducks. If that’s the case, it’s silly to say no to free chips.
Tournaments are different. The blinds rise as the tournament advances. Stealing them in the early stage may not be important, but going after them later can add significantly to your chip stack.
Here’s what you should take away from today’s post: you won’t get rich from stealing blinds in texas holdem. But, depending upon the type of game you’re playing and the type of players you’re up against, you can preserve – and even build – your chip stack.
And that can make the difference between going bust and surviving.
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