What is the number one mistake that most Texas Hold'em players make?

Poker Discussion
1

IMO they play too many hands. If they would tighten up their game and play the odds they would win more often.

What do you think?

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2

I agree. Poker is a game of strategy and luck. You have to know what a good opening hand is and what may not.

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3

Not studying off the table. Its annoying but its what really improves your game.

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4

Something I noticed a fair number of players doing is not considering the possible hands that could beat their hand. If they hit anything, they push, even if their opponent pushes back and there are like 8 possible hands that could beat them, they re-raise. Another thing many players do is to decide they will bluff before the hand starts, so they make a pre-flop over-bet, and keep pushing no matter what. Of course, sometimes this works, but bluffing should depend on what type of player you are up against, how they are acting and re-acting, and what is showing on the board.

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5

The number one mistake is expecting to be successful without putting in the work.

This attitude would be unthinkable in any other endeavor. Would you expect to get paid top dollar if you barely knew your job? Who would expect to win Olympic gold without bothering to train?

It takes effort to be good at anything, poker is no different.

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6

I don’t really know how much others work on their game, and it kind of seems like many must not be working really hard, just watching what they do… but I thought I’d focus on specific things I actually see at the table that I think reduce the winnings of many players (and it is hard to see people not studying, LOL).

I’ve decided not to rank these… they’re just in random order. I’ll say they are all number 1, LOL.

  • trying to see a flop with too many hands
  • open limping and limp folding
  • calling all in bets with draws, without the correct direct pot odds
  • failing to get anywhere close to an optimal balance of value and bluffs
  • mostly using one size when bluffing, and then another size when making value bets
  • not raising or check raising as a bluff
  • betting too strongly with marginal, middle strength holdings
  • not taking aggressive lines frequently enough
  • not betting, or betting too small, with very strong hands
  • seemingly not appreciating how the odds of having the best hand change when you have more opponents still in the pot
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What is an example of “limp folding”?

And, I’m uncertain what that means.

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Limp folding = When a player limps in preflop and subsequently folds to an open raise. If you are going to limp into a pot (and that should only selectively be done), you need a plan for how to deal with an open raise. If your plan is to fold, you may as well have folded to begin with.

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9

You may be right about limp folding after an opening raise but if the opening raise is a big one (possible pocket pair) then it might make you reconsider following that raise.

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The most dangerous mistake I see is under-estimating an opponent–and every one of us does it, from time to time.

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11

Not necessarily number one but …Calling down the Hyper Aggressive Fish “to teach them a lesson” but without having the goods is nearly always a mistake . You know hes bluffing but that doesnt really help if you only have a marginal hand as his junk may still beat your junk

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12

Playing out of position and playing too many hands. Limping in hopes of seeing a cheap flop. Thinking they have to win every hand. Not understanding that having an Ace doesn’t make every hand a good one. Not knowing when their hand is beat and continuing to put chips in the pot. Just playing their hands and not thinking about what their opponents might have. Having a bad run and pumping more chips onto the felt in order to recoup their losses in a hurry. Not understanding that some days it just isn’t going to happen for them, but staying at the table.

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14

It’s free recreational poker site so what do you expect ? You can’t make them conform to strategic moves no matter how hard you try. Most of their strategies are based on luck alone. It gets worse in the colder months because it’s too cold to go outside and play horseshoes lol. You just have to adapt, adjust, overcome or move on to a new table, keeping notes on those players and staying clear will keep you from going on tilt. We all go thru it.