poker playing
Beginner Mistakes in Poker
Beginners in every game, including poker, are always expected to have minimal skills in playing the game, unless they are natural-born players and destined to make it big. Since the skills are quite limited at first, beginners in poker try to make up for this deficiency by relying on their luck to win games. Beginners also harbor many several misconceptions and delusions that often become disastrous to their play.
For example, you have just discovered poker fairly recently and want to play more games to gain more skills and experience. So you go to the Internet and start entering online poker rooms and playing a few pickup games against complete strangers. To your surprise, you start winning most of your games. You go further and start competing in real money games despite your skills handicap. Your lucky streak continues and you win a handsome amount of money enough to say to yourself, "Wow! I never knew I'm this good." You pat yourself on the back and think that you're a natural.
Sorry, folks, but poker is not all about luck. To be successful in poker, you need to possess a certain degree of skill to be able to make wise decisions with the cards you're dealt. There's nothing wrong with thinking (or pretending) to be a natural at poker, but don't rely solely on your luck in trying to win in poker. Sure, there are naturals at this game who easily reach the top of the poker pinnacle with nary a sweat. Since most players don't have the inborn talent, the right thing to do when you're a beginner is to exert the effort in learning poker skills and strategies that can make you a better player in the long run.
The problem with beginners is that after winning a few poker games they start thinking they are a natural. On the other hand, if they lose most of their games, they blame it on bad luck. They don't realize that their skills (or lack of it) have something to do with the outcome of the game.
To overcome those misconceptions, take your time to study every poker game you play. Don't go around playing as many games as possible - remember that you're still starting out and you have to analyze your play first. Using a poker tracking software or a sheet of paper, list down the first 100 hands and analyze the situations and scenarios involved in your play as well as that of your opponents'. Find out where you made the right decisions and where you've made mistakes. Study and understand variance and how it can make you a successful poker player in the long run.
Finally, read and learn as much as you can by reading books, articles and ebooks. Spend as much time studying the game than actually playing it. If you follow these proven tips, you will become a fairly good poker player in the long run.