10 Reasons Why You Suck at Poker

Even if you’re a winning player, there are still things that you do every day that cost you money. These mistakes are called “leaks” because they act like a leaky faucet in your bathroom. Sure, you still get water when you need water, but the plumbing isn’t working at its full potential. It raises your water bill and costs you money.

These 10 common mistakes are geared more towards players who have a basic understanding of poker rather than complete newbies. This is not a list that includes things like “you are chasing too many draws.” Most of you already know it’s bad to chase too many draws. These mistakes are harder to catch and are therefore much more dangerous in the long term.

In the spirit of The Rich Jerk, I present to you the 10 reasons why you suck at poker. Don’t be a wimp, I’m only kidding. Read this article, laugh at it and learn from it. Enjoy.

10. You make too many continuation bets

This is a mistake that plagued me for a very long time. I knew how to play poker, I knew that continuation bets were important but I didn’t know how to properly utilize them. I played an aggressive style and made continuation bets every single time I raised before the flop. The only time I skipped a c-bet was when 3 or more people were in the pot with me.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and make a continuation bet every time but you shouldn’t be doing that. Pay attention to your opponents’ playing styles, your table image, your cards and the board texture to decide when you should place c-bets and when you should pass. Although you should bet the majority of the time you raise before the flop, you shouldn’t bet every time you raise before the flop. Check out this useful article about continuation betting.

9. You don’t make enough continuation bets

Whereas some players make too many continuation bets, you don’t make enough. Some of you only bet on the flop if you hit your hand. That strategy might get you by in small stakes games but it’s hardly optimal and it’s probably costing you all kinds of potential earnings. If you miss your hand on the flop, it’s OK to take a stab at the pot.

You can get more details about continuation bets in the article I linked to on number 10 up there but here’s a very quick guide for betting on the flop if you were the raiser before the flop:

• Bet if there is only 1 person in the pot against you

• Don’t bet if there are 3 or more people in the pot

• If there are 2 people in the pot, bet if you are in late position and they both check

• Look at the board texture. If it looks unconnected, bet. If it looks like it could have hit the types of hands people like to play (such as AT, KJ, TJ, 89, etc), don’t bet.

• Bet if there are two low cards and an ace. You will look like you just connected with your AK.

8. You play pocket pairs like a fish

Pocket pairs are sweet hands and they are even sweeter when they turn into sets. But even the possibility of hitting a set doesn’t make it worth playing pocket pairs every single time you get them. There’s a common myth that you can call a raise up to 10% the size of the smallest stack between you and the raiser.

Stop playing your pocket pairs just to hit sets. If you limp in with a pocket pair in early position, you are playing that pocket pair wrong. Either come in with a raise or fold it. In late position, you can limp in behind other players. Don’t call raises from late position stealers with pocket pairs and then fold if you miss your set. Those people are trying to steal the blinds and they probably don’t have much. Either re-steal the pot or get out.

Check out this article about pocket pairs.

7. You play when you’re drunk, depressed and unfocused

Your mindset has a profound affect on how you play. Whether you’re playing after a night of partying or first thing in the morning in a dirty, cluttered room, you’re not playing under optimal conditions. Before you start a poker session, clean up the area around you, clear your mind and take a shower. Yes, I just suggested you take a shower before playing online poker.

It sounds crazy but trust me, poker is not the same as playing video games in your underwear on Saturday morning with a bowl of cereal in your lap. Poker is a form of self-employment. I know all about being self-employed and let me tell you that it’s vital that you treat it like a real job (that you enjoy). Take a shower, get focused and play under the right mindset.

Remember also that your mindset can change randomly in the middle of a session. I’ve even had it happen during great sessions. For example, I got off to a great start one time and couldn’t shake this feeling that I was about to suffer a bad beat. I quit the game. Not because I’m superstitious but because I knew it was affecting my play. If you get a bad feeling that you can’t shake or start surfing the web while you play, you need to quit the game.

6. You turn into a mindless robot

After a while, poker turns into a grind and it’s easy to become a mindless robot, no matter how much money you have sitting in front of you. The same situation comes up time and time again and you can play 8 tables without breaking a sweat. The robot part comes into play when you stop focusing on your tables and just start making decisions because you’ve seen the same situations so many times.

In one way, this could almost sound like a good thing but it’s not. Poker is never a concrete game, no matter how many times you see similar situations. You need to stay sharp, watch your opponents and take notes. There’s no way to quantify how mindless play affects your bottom line but it does. You need to stay aware and awake at all times.

5. You spend your money like a teeny bopper at the mall

A large determinant of your success in poker is how well you manage your bankroll. Not only does this include playing at the stakes for which you are properly rolled, but it also includes how often you cash out and what you do with your poker money.

If you like to make cashouts to buy bottle service at cheesy clubs and mad bling to show off to your poker-newbie friends, you are absolutely destroying future earnings. It’s OK to make the occasional withdrawal to reward yourself but you should keep it at a minimum. The money you save can be used to move up in stakes and earn even more money. Every time you make a withdrawal, it has consequences that extend far into the future.

4. You can’t control your temper

In poker, a temper problem doesn’t have to include things like punching the monitor, kicking the puppy or going all-in every hand. A temper can cause you to make other costly mistakes such as playing for revenge, failing to leave bad tables and not quitting when you should.

Call it “soft rage” if you want. What I’m talking about isn’t as obvious as holes in the wall. This soft rage is more like a slowly burning cigarette stuck in your gut. You don’t feel super pissed, but you make decisions that aren’t optimal. You can be anything you want outside of poker but when you’re sitting at the tables, you need to be as emotionless as a brick wall. If the game sucks, move to a new table. Don’t stick around to prove it to anyone or to get your money back from someone.

3. You tell the fish how to play better

OK seriously, this belongs on the “Top 10 mistakes for newbies list” but you just can’t quite seem to get it right. You probably already know what this bullet point is all about but here it is anyways: if a fish makes a stupid play, don’t berate the fish! Why do you want the fish to play better? Are you trying to make the games worse for everyone else, including yourself? Speaking of which, why do I even run this strategy website?

It’s frustrating to lose a pot to poor play but remember those are the dues you pay to keep the fish coming back for more. If the fish never got lucky, they’d never play. Instead of inflating that vein on the side of your neck and smashing out poorly-spelled obscenities on the keyboard, try congratulating the fish for winning a nice pot. That will probably encourage them to give the money back faster than rattling off a bunch of math stats.

2. You suffer from a disease called Fancy Play Syndrome

Fancy Play Syndrome, also called FPS, is a common mistake in which poker players play strong hands with too much of an emphasis on needless deception rather than betting for value. One of the most common forms of FPS is slow playing strong hands.

It’s OK to slow play strong hands for a street or two if the board looks like crap but most of the time you should bet your strong hands. Why? Because the object of poker is to win money. It’s a proven fact that if you have a strong hand and get money in the pot, you’ll usually win that money. Also, sometimes the most deceptive tactic is to play your hand straightforward. That way it will be difficult for your opponents to distinguish between your bluffs and your strong hands.

1. You lie to yourself

Honesty to others isn’t exactly a winning virtue at the poker tables but honesty to yourself most definitely is. Be honest with yourself when you analyze your current state in poker. Are you sure you’re a winning player at the stakes you play at? After moving up, it can be difficult to admit the fact that you’re being outplayed. This also applies to other situations such as playing heads up matches against better players or differentiating between bad luck and poor play.

Be critical of yourself at all times. It’s OK to admit that you’re not the best player in the world and need to improve in certain areas. Nobody is the best player in the world. It’s not possible to be the best player in the world. You can always improve and there will always be someone who can beat you. Admit it to yourself and then move on with your life. When you learn to be 100% honest with yourself, you’ll feel liberated. Who cares how many people are better than you when you’re swimming around in cash and can buy a new car whenever you feel like it?

Click here to learn how to play poker