Poker Dynamic

In poker, it’s easy to lose quickly because of a few simple mistakes. A player can play great poker for hours at a time and lose all of his money and chips in one fell swoop. Although it is impossible for me to know all the mistakes individual players make, there are a few common mistakes I used to make I can counsel on.

The first mistake I will talk about is staying in a hand too long. Everyone who has played poker has experienced a hand where they know they should fold, but they don’t. Why does this happen so often? Well for several reasons;

1. Once in a hand, a player has invested a good amount of chips to see future cards and feels that folding would be giving away chips for free.

2. Players hold out hope for the miracle turn or river card that will give them the nuts.

3. Players get pressured into staying into the hand by their opposition. While this case is somewhat rare, it happens most frequently with players who feel insecure about their playing style.

The problem with using any of the above three reasons? They don’t take into account future losses you will incur by staying in the hand. Don’t think about chips that are in the pot already. Think about whether or not you want to lose more, or all, of your chips to stay in the hand. Don’t hope for a miracle card, wait for a legit hand that you can put your confidence into. And certainly don’t let anyone but yourself influence how you make bets or fold.

It is hard to fold a hand that you think has a chance, however small, of winning. But in poker, folding is often as important as calling bets. Learn how to muck hands that aren’t going to win and you will be a better player for it.

Filed under: Strategies