Table of Contents
Introduction
Whether you’re just starting out or have played poker for a while now, there’s a slew of common mistakes that may have been hindering your chances of winning. Regardless of whether these mistakes are subtle or blatantly obvious, fixing just one of them is sure to increase your gameplay significantly.
The quicker you are to realize your mistakes, the easier it is to fix them. Gaining a good understanding of the multiple intricacies of poker is key to becoming a better player. If you’re planning on checking out some websites, make sure that the software looks pretty good, too. Read on more if you’re interested in becoming an even better poker player!
Using A Polarized Range
A polarized range is a range that has both strong hands and considerably weak hands. Before flopping, most amateur players usually make the mistake of reraising only with their strong hands, which is a terrible strategy in itself. This method reveals all of your premium cards face-up, which allows your opponents to either call or fold, based on whether they are able to get the proper implied odds. Basically, you’re giving them the opportunity to make the perfect decision, which will end up costing you money in the long run.
Once a player has realized the shortcomings of raising with strong hands, they’ll change to reraising with a linear range –– which means that they will begin raising with hands they perceive as strong in general, such as 7-7 and A-J. Although this is effective against players who raise with weaker hands, such as A-9 or K-T, it won’t work against players who only use premium hands or those whose cards can fight against linear ranges, such as 2-2s or 6s-5s.
In our opinion, the ideal reraising range must be polarized. This means that your range must include some of your best hands –– such as J-J, Q-Q, K-K, and A-A, as well as an A-K range –– and weaker hands, such as Ac-9d, Kd-5d, and 9s-6s. By choosing to call with mediocre hands, instead of reraising with only strong hands, you’re able to see whether you end up flopping before throwing in more money into the pot. Furthermore, reraising with a polarized range allows you to play in a wider range more aggressively, which increases the chance of winning with your stronger hands. This is extremely effective against opponents who can’t figure out whether your hands are good or not, which may cause them to make costly mistakes.
Bet More Heads Up Pots
Another common mistake amateur players make is failing to bet continually once they miss the flop. If you’re in a one versus one match, it’s important to continually bet, especially on flops that are beneficial to your hand and detrimental to your opponent’s.
For example, if your preflop raise only results in the big blind calling, and the flop comes up to be an A-7-3, K-Q-2, or an 8-4-2, you need to remember to bet continuously. You might want to check on flops that are 8d-7d-2s and 6c-5c-4c, as they tend to be better for your opponent than your range. Raising your positions from a decently wide range allows you to get away with continuation betting since any flop would be able to better connect with your hand. If you choose to raise with a tight range from a particular position, you may want to consider betting less on certain flops, as they might not all fit your range.
Try Two Barreling
Once you’ve become more familiar with continuation flop betting, it’s time to start two-barreling –– even when you have nothing. As continuation betting becomes increasingly commonplace, observant players are able to call or raise bets in a wider range. In order to combat that, you’ll need to respond with an even wider range, at least until your opponent backs down.
A general rule of thumb is to always bet once the board changes, such as when additional equity is involved, an obvious draw is completed, a flush draw is turned, etc. You never know how a bet can end up stealing your pot!
Be Comfortable Post-Flop
When you play in games with higher stakes, it’s common for large posts to emerge after bettering with the flop. Unfortunately, most amateur players are only familiar with betting preflop, which is a result of local casinos who want to get tournaments over and done with.
If you want to climb higher in poker tournaments, you must be comfortable with not getting all of your money in preflop. Although this means that you may be confident about the strength of your hand, you’ll soon realize that the river and turn are where you want to start heavily investing.
Be Attentive
Some people tend to be distracted by other things (e.g. their phones) when they are not involved in a pot. However, this is the time when you can closely observe your opponents’ habits and non-verbal cues to get a better read on them. Every second spent at the table is precious. Play with purpose and intention and you’ll start to notice the details.
Try Out Other Variations
While there are many variations of poker, most of them fall into the three main categories, draw poker, stud poker, and community card poker. Don’t be afraid to try them out as playing with others will give you valuable experience that only comes with more practice.
We recommend learning at least shorthand and heads-up poker. Most amateur players are afraid of playing against multiple opponents, especially if they view their hands as weak. In reality, most don’t understand how hand values can change, and end up either over-adjusting or under-adjusting their hands. Although this is lack of experience is acceptable in full tables, it will be extremely detrimental in shorthand matches, where large amounts of money are on the line.
Sleep Well
When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? Typically, it is recommended for adults to get about seven hours of sleep every night. Sleeping well contributes to your overall physical and mental health and should not be neglected. Start by staying away from your smart devices at least an hour before you sleep. The blue light transmitted from your smartphone has been proven to reduce one’s quality of sleep. Start prioritizing your sleep –– you’ll need the mental clarity to think fast and clearly in a poker game.
Reflect And Review
Although this is the most self-explanatory tip, it is often neglected by both amateur and experienced players alike. Reviewing and reflecting upon your play after each game allows you to recall important details from the match –– and this will help you identify your mistakes and what you can do to improve your poker game. We recommend bringing along a notebook, tablet, or mobile phone to record down all your hands during your games. Analyzing your hands, especially the poor ones, would help you to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Study Poker
You can’t become a poker expert by just playing at the table. If you’re serious about improving in poker, you’d want to start dedicating sufficient time to study it. Poker is a complex game and has been studied by many experts in the field. We strongly encourage you to pick up books and training videos that have been published by the best professional poker players –– this would allow you to learn a lot about their perspectives and thought processes during a match. Otherwise, you could try signing up for online poker courses that have been carefully curated by poker experts. Alternatively, some people prefer to hire a poker coach to learn directly from them.
Conclusion
Becoming a good poker player doesn’t come overnight –– you’ll gain valuable experiences and become better as you continue to play. Whilst luck definitely plays a part in increasing your chances of winning, having solid poker techniques and crucial information will carry you further in the long run. Don’t forget to prioritize your physical and mental well-being whilst trying to read up on poker tips and tricks! As long as you put in the effort, the rewarding results will eventually follow.
