5 Biggest Mistakes in Online Poker
Distractions
One of the biggest problems players have when playing online poker is allowing distractions to affect their play. Many players watch television, listen to a radio or iPod, surf the net, or chat online with friends while playing online poker. There is certainly no problem with listening to some music or having background noise, but for most players anything beyond this negatively impact results.
If you are serious about making money and improving your game, you must pay attention to what is happening at the table. You will miss out on valuable information such as timing tells and betting tendencies if you allow outside influences to distract you. The more tables you intend on playing, the more important it will be to focus on the game(s) at hand.
Playing above your bankroll
Putting too much of your bankroll at risk is a common mistake among many beginners.There are endless examples of talented players that went broke from playing at stakes they couldnt afford because they thought they could beat the game. Poker is about playing the odds, and even if you are huge favorite in a tournament or cash game you still have to remember that luck is a factor.
The most successful poker players usually adhere to a 20-50 buy-in rule for tournament cash game play. So, a player that has a $300 bankroll should be playing $5- $10 sit n go’s at PokerStars until he can get up to at least $500. If you decided to get aggressive and play $100 sit n go’s and the competition was too strong or you got unlucky, you would go broke after just 3 tournaments. Play it safe and use the 20-50 buy-in guidelines.
Not playing in position
A commonly accepted principle in poker is playing position. Poker is a game of incomplete information, and the more information you have about your opponents, the more successful you will be.
Acting after your opponents provides you more options.Many pots are decided by the player who acts last in the hand, because they have more information at their disposal when making their decision. If two players have the same hand, the player in position will win a much higher percentage of these pots because they will have more information to make the decision.
Not Understanding short term variance
A lot of players have a tough time understanding the amount of variance there is in poker.Strong players make find themselves on week or month-long downswings, just as weaker players can go on dramatic upswings, so dont let short-term results influence your play. A beginning player might be fooled by a big night, week, or month, without realizing that they have been making many mistakes. Conversely, players may be playing well but losing every coin flip, get sucked out on the river, and seemingly missing every straight or flush draw.
Just because you are dealt pocket aces doesn’t mean you will win the hand.Poker is all about percentages, and being a solid favorite does not ensure that you will win the hand. Focus on playing each hand as best you can, without allowing your good or bad luck to influence your decision-making.Luck and variance are just part of the game that any poker player will have to accept.
Playing without rakeback
When you play online poker, the poker room takes rake from each pot if you are playing a cash game and an upfront fee before a tournament is played. Poker sites like Poker Stars, FullTilt, etc... reward players for playing at their site by giving them money back for their loyalty.
Rakeback can make the difference between breaking even and being a highly profitable player. The money that is returned to you each month could help you move from .25/.50 to .50/1.00, or spent on a new computer or television.
Rakeback offers can vary between 30-40%, and virtually always include a sign up bonus or other incentives. If you don’t have poker rakeback already, you are passing up free money!
Good luck at the tables!
Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:11 pm
