General Texas Holdem tips – Common Mistakes

Here are some common mistakes players make in Texas Hold’em:

1.      Too much bluffing – there is something sexy about bluffing; sometimes a win by a bluff is more exciting than winning with a great hand. However, some loose players use it too much. If you have a pair of sevens and the board is Ace of spades, King of spades, ten of heart, 5 of spades and 3 of diamond, the pot is quite big and there are 4 players in the pot, it won’t be smart to bluff. A bluff is a technique that should be used when the terms are right and when you figured that the chances of getting called are smaller than what the pot is offering you.

2.      Focus on your cards and not on your opponents – an example of this common mistake is when a player goes all the way to the river with a pair of aces no matter what. If you have a pair of aces, the flop is Ten of diamond, 8 of diamond and 7 of heart, the turn is 6 of diamond and suddenly a passive player starts betting or raising, most of the chances that your pair is beaten and you should fold. There are so many possible hands that beat you, and you have practically no ‘outs’ to get.

3.      Betting with a mediocre hand on the river – even if you have a top pair, it usually isn’t the smartest move to bet on the river. If you have the best hand with your top pair, you probably won’t get called by anyone. If you don’t have the best hand, you’ll lose the bet or be forced to call a raise. For example: you hold Ace and a Queen ‘off-suit’, and the flop was Queen of heart, Ten of clubs and 6 of clubs, the turn was 5 of heart, and the river is 8 of clubs – with this board it is not smart to bet.

4.      Slow-playing too much – it gives much pleasure to be able to hide your strength and deceive your opponents, but it isn’t as profitable as betting most of the time. The situation should be perfect in order to make the slow-play the best possible move. For example, if you hold a pair of three’s, the flop is Ace of clubs, King of spades and a 3, the pot is relatively high, and there are 5 players in the pot, slow-playing isn’t the best move.

5.      Checking to the bettor and by that giving him a free card if he wishes - When you have a strong hand, you should usually bet.

6.      Not wanting to get bluffed – some players pay even when they are sure they have the worst hand just so they wont get bluffed. They hate when someone bluffs them and get insulted by it. Use this: play aggressively on the turn and river against these kinds of players, especially if someone else has bluffed them recently.

7.      Mood related mistakes or ‘going on tilt’ – many players loose their temper in the following situations: after loosing a big pot, after someone got a ‘miracle’ card and beat them, after they were bluffed, when they loose a lot of money or for some other reasons. If you are ‘on tilt’ and can’t control your feelings - leave the table immediately. You can’t win poker when you are not concentrated on the game. If you recognize others in this situation, exploit it. They tend to play a lot of hands and go too far with those hands. Let them take your blinds when you have bad or even mediocre hands, and play aggressively with your good hands.

8.      Under betting the pot – when you think someone is ‘on a draw’, calculate his pot odds and make it unworthy for him to call. If he will call, in the long run you will benefit from this player even if sometimes he will hit his card. For example: you have queen of spades, 9 of clubs, the board is queen of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 5 of hearts and  4 of hearts, and the pot is $50. If someone is going for a flush draw, he has 7 outs and 15% of winning - 9 hearts minus the queen and Ten of hearts that will turn your hand into a full house; this means you should bet $15 or more in order to force your opponents to take a bad decision.

9.      Wrong Bluffing amount – set the amount of betting in a pot or no-limit game according to your opponent. Some players will throw their hand if they didn’t hit their card even if you bet a small amount. Some players will call a small amount just in order to see your cards. Some players will fold to a small bet thinking it’s a trap and call a big bet knowing it’s a bluff – your must decide on how much to bet according to your opponent.