Three Common Mistakes in Texas Holdem

Poker Tips is a portal with a lot of material for those who are just starting out in poker. With the participation of these users, we have noticed mistakes that are very common among them. Avoid these mistakes and your game will be much better. In this article, we describe three common mistakes made by beginners and how to avoid them.

Playing at a level above your ability

Playing Texas hold'em at medium to high stakes can be quite exciting. Winning a pot in a game with blinds of $10/$20 can give you a huge profit right away, and it's a temptation that many inexperienced players fall prey to. But playing at limits that are too high for you is a surefire way to lose a lot of money.

“Micro” or low stakes can be quite boring and frustrating, but if you can’t win at these games, it’s even worse at high stakes. We’ve heard of countless people who have leveled up with the argument that “low stakes players are too crazy” and then done very poorly at the new stakes. In mid to high stakes games, there will be mostly mid to high stakes players. You need a lot of money to be competitive at these stakes, which is another limitation for new players.

Also, think of poker as an investment in the financial market. You have to be responsible and manage your money (bankroll). In poker, just like in the stock market, you can have a bad period. If your bankroll management is not adequate, you will go broke during these times! As a general rule, never enter a table with more than 5% of your poker money. Also, do not mix your personal money with your poker money.

Play at a level that is most comfortable for you and within your bankroll. Once you are doing well at that level, move up to a higher level and play for a while. There will always be higher limit games waiting for you when you are ready. For more information on this, see the article handling your money (bankroll management).

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Pay (Call)

That's right, inappropriately calling/calling bets can be one of the worst mistakes a Texas Hold'em player can make. Calling can be an effective action, but more often than not, beginning players call bets for the wrong reasons.

Many people call because they are afraid. If you are afraid, then the correct action is to fold or give up the poker game. Others call out of curiosity, to see what cards will come next, or to see what their opponent had. This type of behavior will make you lose money.

Calling bets is a weak action because it doesn’t give you any information about what your opponent might have, and it doesn’t give you a chance to win the pot without competition. Opening or raising should be the most common actions if you think you should enter the hand. Calling bets should be reserved as a chip-saving strategy, not a way to “get lucky.”

We list some good reasons to use “call”:

  • When you are in a draw, that is, when you have a reasonable chance of making a good hand if certain cards come. Example: you have 4 cards to a flush after the flop and your opponent has made a low bet.
  • When you want to deceive an opponent by feigning weakness. For example, if you have an excellent hand after the flop and your opponent comes betting heavily;
  • In a marginal situation that is not good enough for a raise. Example, with a low pair in the starting hand, late position, in a round where several people entered with the minimum bet.
  • Don't fall into the trap of calling with bad hands just because it seems cheap. Be aggressive and on the attack when you enter the hand. This is the most effective way to make a profit in poker.

Reasons for NO pay bets:

  • If you have a chance of a straight with a “hole in the middle” (gutshot draw). In this case, only one card would complete your straight, with a chance of approximately 16%. So only call if your opponent’s bet is very small in relation to the pot;
  • If you have a flush draw but your opponent bet big. If you have a flush draw on the flop, you will only complete it 36% times. In this case, if your opponent bet the size of the pot or more, for example, the most correct thing to do would be to fold the hand;
  • You have a low pair on the flop. On an AK 7 flop, and you have a 7 in your hand, you have made the lowest pair on the board. In this case, avoid calling your opponents' bets, since there is a good chance that one of them has made a better pair than you.
  • If your opponent bluffs a lot. Don't call bets with weak hands just because your opponent bluffs a lot. You'll end up helping the villain. Wait for a good hand and then call, or even better, raise the bet. Likewise, don't call bets just because you're irritated with your opponent.

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Bluffing excessively or at the wrong time

Bluffing is a technique used in poker to deceive your opponents and win more money. The problem is that at “micro” or low levels of Texas hold'em, bluffing is not as effective or important. Most opponents at these levels are weak, so bluffing becomes unnecessary and even dangerous.

A bad opponent is more likely to call/call bets for inappropriate reasons (see above), because he doesn't know how to calculate the strength of his hand or doesn't know how to analyze the community cards properly. There are correct times to bluff at these levels, but you should really focus on playing concise and aggressive poker. That alone will be enough to dominate the cheaper games.

Bluffing is certainly a vital part of poker strategy, but it’s especially important against intermediate and advanced opponents. At lower levels, overusing this technique is not only wrong, it can also cost you dearly. If you’re still learning the game, take bluffing out of your toolbox.

Conclusion

While you're still new to the game, avoid making these mistakes above and you'll already have an advantage over thousands of opponents.

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44 COMMENTS

  1. Hello, how are you?

    I would like to ask/ask for an opinion..

    If I have a low pocket pair in early position, maybe the best option would be to raise and see what the other players are doing? Would that be better than simply calling the minimum bet (big blind) and waiting for the flop?

    Representing that you have a better card and investing more money but also increasing the pot if others call is perhaps the right option?

    Hug

      • Maximiliano, it depends on the situation and position. If you are the first player in the pot, I recommend raising the bet. If there are already other players in the hand, then it is more difficult to give you a suggestion, but in most cases I would raise with KQ.

    • This post is super interesting. I'm new to the world of poker, and I saw myself in this post, lol!!! I was (I say was, because I won't do it again) doing everything wrong, everything I couldn't do I thought I could... lol Thanks for the great help. I'm going to read this post a couple more times!!

  2. Eric,

    Low pocket in starting position: depends on the situation.

    If I'm shortstack, I'm more aggressive.

    If the table is full and everything is normal, I evaluate whether to fold or limp. I don't raise much in these cases.

    The low pocket only gets better 12% sometimes when he flops a set. The other times it will usually be either 50/50% against high cards, or very weak against bigger pairs.

    See more about this topic here:
    https://pokerdicas.com/forum/texas-holdem/84-suporte-pd-jogando-com-pares-baixos-na-primeira-posicao.html

    • I agree, normally a low pair remains a low pair, because when the flop comes with higher cards, it is almost certain that someone will have a higher pair... In fact, I don't usually raise before the flop, because many times the flop turns opponents with bad cards into dangerous ones... example: You have a pair of Aces, but the flop came with a pair of 2s and no Aces... that is, at a full table, there is a great possibility of someone having a set... so even a pair of Aces should be evaluated as good or risky, depending on the flop, because the latter decides who has the advantage... it is important in my opinion to see the flop before making any decision risking a large number of chips...

      • I'm used to saying that you have to know how to bet on a pair of aces, no matter what position you're in, because it's very easy to break. Because when you bet, you have to take as many players out of the hand as possible. Because you lose to two pairs easily in a flash sequence. Knowing how to play is very important.

  3. Hello, Poker Tips people!
    I started playing poker and I really like it. And I want to learn more about the game, get some tips, and learn the ins and outs of poker. Starting with the names, like big bling, flop, raise, etc. Some of these names are easy to understand logically, but I believe that some people, like me, get lost in the explanations of the game. So, I would like you to make a list of the words used and their respective meanings. I would like to thank you in advance. Thanks!

  4. Thanks again Marcelo! I read a lot of Pokerdicas articles and since I'm a beginner I usually go to low-level tables. However, I used to bluff a lot and my bankroll always fluctuated in value, both up and down. I'm going to take these tips and be more careful with my high bets!

  5. Hello, I would like an opinion…

    I have a pair of queens, I raise the big 3x from an intermediate position, only the cutter calls. The flop comes 6 9 3 of different suits... I raise once more for another half pot and the cutter re-raises me 3x. Did he set??????

    • Danilo, you can't be sure. The guy could have trips, he could have a pocket pair, he could have thought you were bluffing (continuation-bet), or he could have a pair of nines. You need to get an idea of the player's style, whether he bluffs a lot, whether he only bets big when he has a good hand, etc.

    • It can be risky, I wouldn't have raised the same way you did... even with a flop like that, the guy could have up to a pair of Aces... in fact, I never trust many chips in a mere pair, no matter how high it is... it's still just a 1 pair... the opponent could have a better pair... in your case it could be KK or AA or trips... or as it was put, he could be a bluffer, or think you're bluffing... or he's an idiot... but if you don't know your opponent, the wisest option is to fold the hand... that's what I would do... I don't like to rely on luck... it leads to bankruptcy.

  6. Hello, I visited the site and I'm really enjoying it. I've been learning poker for a few days and I have a question that I haven't found, and I would like to know what the sequence of cards is in ascending order, would it be the same as in truco, for example?

    • Sequence of cards or hands? If it's hands, we have an article about it in the rules section. If it's cards, it's the standard (lowest to highest): 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 JQKA

    • Hector, it's a complicated subject, it depends a lot on the situation. You can check because your hand is bad; or to try to control the size of the pot; or to try to check-raise.

  7. Hey guys, I recommend you watch CHRIS MONYMAKAER PLAYING POKER, THEN YOU'LL BE VERY ADVANCED, THE KID PLAYS VERY WELL AND HAS A LOT OF COOLNESS...

  8. I'm reading the poker tips, they're really good...
    But I couldn’t resist the “Bluff” image in this article.
    I died laughing.
    Geez, Texas Holdem is played with 2 cards in hand. Unless it's another style of poker (which I don't know). And what's that smoke? How can it be after the cards? Are the cards too close to the guy's face? It would still be difficult for this to happen, and the size of the cards would prevent this, since it would be in front of the good, unless the cigarette is touching the cards with the tip facing the other way.
    Or it could be in the ashtray on the table.
    I don't know, I thought it was pretty crazy.

  9. Marcelo,
    Let's say I'm at a 0.05/.010 table with a pair of 9s, in an intermediate position, and an opponent comes out betting 0.40 and there are still 3 or 4 players left to bet, what should I do in this situation, or in another case if it's just me and him, given that this player usually bets like this several times and then he comes with a reraise.

  10. A good way to play carefully is to always imagine that you have few chips even if you have a lot of chips, so you only enter the correct hands without hesitating or panicking or getting nervous.
    because care in poker must always exist so as to never devalue or belittle the opponent

  11. Hello, too? I would like some suggestions for books at BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED levels.
    I'm just starting out on the site, congratulations, it's really good... Thanks!!!

    • For beginners, I can recommend “Leo Bello’s Learning to Play Poker”.
      There are many intermediate players out there. It depends on the style of play you like best.
      Advanced I recommend coaching, watching videos and reading articles instead of buying books, and of course, playing a lot!

      Hugs

  12. Taking advantage of the last answer, any tips on intermediate books for playing MTT tournaments, like The Big on PS?
    Thanks and GREAT site, congratulations!

    • Every Hand Revealed by Gus Hansen is really cool and is intermediate level.
      I've heard a lot of good things about Kill Everyone but never read it.
      Check out our Poker Tips and also our MTT videos from our partner http://www.brasilpokerclube.com.br in the Poker School section.
      If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

      Hugs

  13. I access the site from my cell phone and downloaded Poker Star Games (which I use on my desktop) but after installation when I try to log in a definition incompatibility message appears and it won't open. What do I do? Is there a version compatible with the Galaxy Y?

  14. This site is sooooo cool, I'm still a newbie and I make all the mistakes there but I'm going to train to change that because I intend to become a professional, I'm going to spend the whole month visiting this site hahaha!

  15. I'm just starting to play poker and I'm really enjoying it, but like any beginner I make mistakes, one of them I think is my stubbornness, I analyze certain hands and I know I should fold and instead I call and in the end the result is what I imagined, I don't know how to control this in me, I want to call the hand to be sure of what I had analyzed, it's as if I didn't believe it, I really liked the post, it helped me a lot,

  16. We all make mistakes in poker, even the pros... so the goal is to maximize profits and minimize mistakes. If we never made mistakes, we would be millionaires. Is that fair?

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