Today we will share with you seven mistakes that amateurs make very often and which prevent them from progressing as poker players. Identifying them is the first step to improving productivity and, as a result, profitability.
- Fall in love with monsters preflop and postflop
We see a lot of amateur players betting 100bb with AA on a Q97 board. AA is the best hand preflop, but postflop everything changes. You need to make sure you don’t overvalue your hands – the nuts or half-nuts preflop – after dealing 3 community cards.
- Strategy based on tournament average
Super common mistake! A player looks at the tournament time and sees that the average stack is 80,000 with blinds of 500/1000, looks at his stack of 35,000 and thinks he belongs to the short stack category.
- 3-bet only with premium hands
Most recreational players play very predictably preflop, which leaves them vulnerable in situations where they face more experienced players: they 3-bet their strong hands and call with hands that are “flopped well.” Unless you have a calling range that is a mix of strong and speculative hands and a 3-betting range that is balanced between value and bluff, it will take time for your results to improve.
- In rebuy tournaments, using the wrong strategy during the rebuy period (and also after the rebuy period)
Most players play very loosely during the rebuy period and more conservatively after that. The correct strategy is diametrically opposed – to be more conservative during rebuys and more aggressive after.
- Wrong play with a short stack
Many people combine the fact that they have a short stack with 20bb. And even when they have the right idea of a short stack (up to 13bb), they effectively pilot such a number of chips – sometimes they get impatient, and sometimes they lose sight of the open spaces to support the stack.
- Do not study standard situations before the game
Players develop as their library of set pieces expands. That is, in a variety of situations, they are able to make a more informed decision and this prevents the repetition of known mistakes.
- Too much focus on short term results
Many players think they are on a “bad streak” because they have 10 tournaments with no prizes and don’t consider that many of the world’s best players spend much more time without seeing any money – after all, professional poker is a game of the long term, not short-term expectations.
Good luck at the tables!
