Thursday, 28 August 2008


Mistakes at Advanced Level

Common poker mistakes at a higher level.


No matter how experienced you are in playing poker, it is inevitable that you would make a bad call or that someone would see through your bluff. But even if these errors caused you defeat or embarrassment, they nonetheless serve as a means to improve your future strategies. In addition, these things are fairly normal when you are just starting to learn the game and are at the beginner level. However, you must be aware that in order for you to increase your rate of success and your ranking as a poker player, there are certain mistakes at the advanced level which you should avoid making.              

Inconsistent Bluffing

Most players think that to always bet or raise a weak hand in the hopes that their opponents will eventually fold can increase their chances of winning. This may be true in certain events, but if the other participants notice inconsistencies in your bluffing, they can form a strategy to take advantage of you. A good situation in which you can use bluffing effectively is one where you would make other players believe that you have made a drawing hand and have made your draw by representing a strong front from the beginning of the game. You can also make your opponents believe that your hand is strong from the start but it became weak in the latter phase of the actual game. Whichever way you opt to bluff, try not to do an unexpected jump at the pot as this would lessen the effect of your move. Ultimately, bluffing is useful if it is done only a few times during a game.       

Excessive Calling

Aside from bluffing, calling too much should be avoided in the advanced level. As a new player, you may have gone through a stage in which you thought that calling all the time would help you win. But sticking to this form of strategy will slow down your improvement as a player. One common example of a situation where unnecessary calling can be seen is this: A player stays in a game only to know what would happen during the flop. When the flop arrives, he would find little or no help from it. But instead of making another move, he opts to call bets at the turn and also on the river only to verify if good cards would appear. In this stage, he has a truly small chance of catching such cards and he would most probably get nothing for his troubles. Worst of all, due to his misuse of several call bets, he would watch the pot go to another player whose cards are lower than his but are far better in the said game. So for you to be safe from situations like this, you need to stop being overconfident about your hand.   

Finally, having a solid plan is the best way to keep yourself away from the aforesaid mistakes. You have to know when to throw away certain cards and when to hold on to them. You also must prevent yourself from giving your opponents vital clues through which they could figure and exploit you out.