Four Mistakes Holdem Players Commonly Make
Poker profits come from the errors opponents make subtracted from the mistakes you make; the more errors made by your opponents when you are playing well the more money you will make, this according to David Sklansky. One thing is certain; you don't need the best holdem hand to win. Clearly, no one plays holdem mistake free that is just an unpleasant fact. Stronger players study their incorrect play and learn from it while weaker players just plow ahead hoping for different results. Stronger players learn to recognize their mistakes and correct them. Learning to spot errors in the play of opponents opens the savvy player to increased profits. Below are some conventional mistakes and ways to exploit them to make money.
Mistake 1: Not Bluffing Enough
Bluffing is a lot like the Goldilocks story; bluff too much, bluff to little or find the range of bluffing that is just right. If I spot a player that doesn't bluff enough, a rock, I will generally give him credit for a hand and will almost always muck my hand. It is correct to raise between half and three-quarters of the pot when this ultra-tight player checks to you post flop.
Mistake 2: Falling in Love with a Premium Pair
Far too many players are keen to take big risks with an unimproved pair, especially when they have top pair or an overpair to the board. It is always good to remember that even top pair is merely a pair and nothing more than that, vulnerable to many other potential hands. Aside from high card, pairs are the weakest hand possible in holdem. I will almost always overbet the pot when I have a strong hand against an opponent who I know overplays his premium hands because I need to build a large pot. Smooth calling from position players who overplay big pairs is a good strategy allowing you room to improve your hand or throw it away if it doesn't improve. If I hit my set I will almost always get paid off and if I don't improve I can easily get out of the way.
Mistake 3: Underbetting the Pot
By sizing your bet when you are first to act allows you to manipulate the price the pot is offering for a call thereby allowing you to price opponents out of a draw. If the flop comes textured to straight or flush draws, a bet of two-thirds the pot sets up pot odds of around 2:1, not the right price to chase a draw. Underbetting the pot usually gives me the right odds to call and so I almost always do. Underbetting the pot almost always gives me the right price to call.
Mistake 4: Calling too Much
It is incorrect to bluff a calling station. Chasing miracle cards, one, two, three or four outers when the price to chase is not right is foolhardy; it is correct to keep the pot small against them so when they actually do connect they don't do much injury. When I have a hand better than a pair, I almost always make a value bet against the calling station as I find it profitable to do so.
Poker profits come from the errors opponents make subtracted from the mistakes you make; the more errors made by your opponents when you are playing well the more money you will make, this according to David Sklansky. One thing is certain; you don't need the best holdem hand to win. Clearly, no one plays holdem mistake free that is just an unpleasant fact. Stronger players study their incorrect play and learn from it while weaker players just plow ahead hoping for different results. Stronger players learn to recognize their mistakes and correct them. Learning to spot errors in the play of opponents opens the savvy player to increased profits. Below are some conventional mistakes and ways to exploit them to make money.
Mistake 1: Not Bluffing Enough
Bluffing is a lot like the Goldilocks story; bluff too much, bluff to little or find the range of bluffing that is just right. If I spot a player that doesn't bluff enough, a rock, I will generally give him credit for a hand and will almost always muck my hand. It is correct to raise between half and three-quarters of the pot when this ultra-tight player checks to you post flop.
Mistake 2: Falling in Love with a Premium Pair
Far too many players are keen to take big risks with an unimproved pair, especially when they have top pair or an overpair to the board. It is always good to remember that even top pair is merely a pair and nothing more than that, vulnerable to many other potential hands. Aside from high card, pairs are the weakest hand possible in holdem. I will almost always overbet the pot when I have a strong hand against an opponent who I know overplays his premium hands because I need to build a large pot. Smooth calling from position players who overplay big pairs is a good strategy allowing you room to improve your hand or throw it away if it doesn't improve. If I hit my set I will almost always get paid off and if I don't improve I can easily get out of the way.
Mistake 3: Underbetting the Pot
By sizing your bet when you are first to act allows you to manipulate the price the pot is offering for a call thereby allowing you to price opponents out of a draw. If the flop comes textured to straight or flush draws, a bet of two-thirds the pot sets up pot odds of around 2:1, not the right price to chase a draw. Underbetting the pot usually gives me the right odds to call and so I almost always do. Underbetting the pot almost always gives me the right price to call.
Mistake 4: Calling too Much
It is incorrect to bluff a calling station. Chasing miracle cards, one, two, three or four outers when the price to chase is not right is foolhardy; it is correct to keep the pot small against them so when they actually do connect they don't do much injury. When I have a hand better than a pair, I almost always make a value bet against the calling station as I find it profitable to do so.
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