How To Stop Leaking Your Poker Chips

You win some, you lose some. That’s the nature of poker, of course. But hopefully, you’re minimizing your losses along the way so that your bankroll keeps building. The problem is that a lot of new poker players (and experienced players do this, too) develop poker chip leaks. They let their chips slip right through their fingers.

It only happens a few at a time, so it’s barely noticeable. That is, until you look at your bankroll and wonder where all your chips have gone.

Today, we’re going to give you a quick list of 3 common poker chip leaks. If you can plug these holes, you’ll build a bankroll that lets you weather the rough hands and bad beats.

Let’s jump in.

Chasing

A lot of players are optimistic. They’ll stay in even if their cards are weak, hoping the flop or river gives them what they need to make their hand. That’s called chasing. If another player has a high pair going into the flop and you can’t beat it, think about folding.

There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic. But, it can get expensive.

Seeing Too Many Flops

Nobody likes to fold. But, when your cards stink, it’s the only move that makes sense. The key is to get out early before the flop. Otherwise, you’re just leaking poker chips.

You should be keeping track of the number of flops you’re seeing over a certain number of hands. If your flop percentage is above 40%, you’re seeing way too many. Keep it under 30%.

Remember, sharks know that poker rooms which have a high flop percentage are easy prey. When they go in for the kill, it can get ugly.

This happens a lot at PokerStars.com. That’s a hint for you if you’re a good player. Visit Poker Stars to take advantage of other players’ high flop %.

Getting Distracted

As chip leaks go, this one can get really expensive. The irony is that it happens a lot to winning players. When you’ve been playing for awhile, you start getting comfortable. You might begin multi-tabling while answering your emails and watching the latest episode of The Wire.

Then, before you know it, the timer runs out on you.

This has happened to us. Trust us, we know how boring it can be waiting for your turn. But, we also know the frustration of forfeiting our chips because we weren’t paying attention.

So, keep your eyes on the table.

Obviously, there are a ton of potential poker chip leaks. We’re just scraping the surface here. Plug those holes, watch your game, and start building your bankroll.

If you want to pick up the chips that others are leaking, visit Poker Stars. There are a ton of fish over there. There are some sharks, too. So, be careful.

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