Beginner’s Mistakes To Avoid When Playing Online Poker

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Online poker came out of nowhere to become a phenomenon on the digital gaming scene. It’s been one of the most popular card games for generations, but has exploded in prevalence and popularity since it hit the web. 

The accessibility of online poker has motivated millions of new players to sign up and get started. Among whom, the vast majority encounter any number of ‘teething troubles’ along the way.

Roughly translated – the kinds of rookie errors that can really put a dent in your game. 

With this in mind, here’s a brief rundown of seven beginner’s mistakes to avoid when playing online poker:

Using The Same Strategy In Many Games

First up, there are some guides that will tell you to find one poker strategy you can handle and stick with it. Unfortunately, this can be a recipe for disaster.  If you play with the same people on a regular basis, they will quickly pick up on your habits and take full advantage of them. 

It’s therefore better to switch things up on occasion, deviating from the normal way you play to thrown them a curveball. In addition, bringing a little fluidity in to your strategy can boost your chances of pocketing the pot. 

To play online poker in a more dynamic way, you can check out asiabet.org to check out some different game strategies you might want to try out. You could also find online tutorials and video guide useful, if looking to branch out into different strategies.

Playing Too Many Hands

Another common mistake is to play too many hands, irrespective of what you are holding at the time. You want to be in on the action, and you know there’s definitely a chance someone else at the table can have a worse hand than you. Hence, you play every hand, without a second thought.

Sadly, this is also a recipe for failure. Knowing when it is necessary to fold is one of the most important aspects of the game. Mastering this skill alone can make you a more successful poker player. 

It’s not a case of falling continuously until you are dealt the most fabulous cards possible. This is also a strategy to avoid, which isn’t going to work in your favour. Instead, it’s the case of being realistic and avoiding the temptation to play with cards you are almost certainly going to lose with.

Playing Too Tight 

As touched upon above, folding at the first sight of danger really isn’t a viable strategy. There are many poker players who refuse to bet so much as a penny, unless they are holding pure gold at the time.

For one thing, this counts you out of the running for the pot in the vast majority of hands. In addition, your opponents will quickly figure out your gaming style, and take you to the cleaners.

If you only ever played when you have a fantastic hand, nobody will play against you when you call or raise. They’ll know you only play when you cards are great, so they’ll fold, and you’ll pocket a pitiful prize.  As above, it’s a case of striking the right balance between the two.

Having A Poor Strategy

Of course, there’s also the mistake of buying into a strategy that simply doesn’t work. Many poker strategies are available, and some are better than others. But what’s true in all instances is that there is no such thing as a poker strategy that guarantees success.

This is because each and every hand that plays out in a game of poker is 100% unique. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to predict or influence the outcome. There’s a degree of skill involved, but it is predominantly a game of chance.

If you buy into any strategy that supposedly guarantees success, you’re buying into bogus habits. No strategy in the world can guarantee you’ll walk away with a profit, so avoid any tips are guidelines that suggest otherwise.

Not Playing at the Right Tables

There’s no shortage of online poker tables to choose from, so why settle for something that’s not right for you? On occasion – if not fairly often – you’ll find yourself sitting at a table with players you’d really rather not be playing with.

Some who don’t take it seriously, others who go all-in on every hand for the sake of it, some who are way more experienced than everyone else and looking to take advantage and so on. The moment you realise you’re at a table with a player you’d rather be rid of, do yourself a favour – exit. 

Playing at the wrong tables is a common yet critical error to avoid. It’s also had just about the easiest mistake to rectify, as all you need to do is take your business elsewhere.

Giving Off Too Many Tells 

This isn’t something that applies quite as much with online poker, but can still influence your game. Since your betting patterns, such as speed, can make you detectable to more experienced players, they might take advantage of your situation.

Tells aren’t as easy to pick up on when playing poker online, but those are not what they are doing can still pick up on a clue when they see one. Again, this is where varying your strategy can help – as opposed to doing the same thing over and over.

Still, the good news is that you do not need to master your ‘poker face’ to get by online. Nobody can see you, which means they cannot see how frantically excited or nervous you are at the time.

Bad Bluffing

Last but not least, far too many poker newcomers think the key to success lies in bluffing. Not occasional bluffing, that continuous and habitual bluffing.

The trouble is that getting away with bluffing has a tendency to be surprisingly difficult.  Even if you do manage to get away with it, you’ll be noted as a bluffer by your fellow players and it’s not going to happen again.

Bluffing is only something that should be done when the time is right and on an infrequent basis. Bad bluffing and excessive bluffing will only ever work against you, and in favour of your opponents.

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