The most common mistakes of beginners in poker. The most serious typical mistakes in poker The main mistakes in poker

Welcome to the final section of the Newbie module. Congratulations - you have already learned a lot about poker. But there is still something to learn at this stage. We hope this tutorial will help you avoid them.

Before you climb to the next level of poker development, consider and remember typical mistakes c, typical for beginners. and earn money? The main thing is to try to avoid these mistakes.

15 main mistakes newbies make in poker

1. Play too many hands. One of the main mistakes is the desire to play every hand. Beginner players are very impatient, they often feel disconnected from the game, don't want to appear weak in front of their friends, or simply don't know what to do. Any cards look attractive if you don’t know which starting combinations are good. A beginner often tries to look at, but when he achieves this, he realizes that he does not have the best cards. Realize this mistake before you play a lot of hands and lose a lot of chips.
2. Frightened by the game. Some beginners play very thoughtlessly and impulsively, but there are also those who, on the contrary, play with fear in their eyes. They do not have enough experience, they are afraid to make a mistake and lose. They will fold until they receive unbeatable cards. They avoid hands with big pots. Such fear can even develop into paranoia - thinking that anyone who bets aggressively has a superior hand, beginners will fold even good cards. The only way Avoid this mistake - gain experience and start trusting your instincts.
3. Play without a pass. Because of the competitive nature of poker, beginners believe that in poker, as in other sports, “passing” is a bad thing. However, in many situations it is better to fold. A beginner player can easily succumb to the spirit of competition. For example, you have a pocket or that you collected on. You only stay in the game because you don't want to appear weak. Unfortunately, constantly calling bets will never let you know where you stand in the hand until it's too late.
4. Invalid bet size. To play successfully, you must always understand what size your bet should be. In no-limit games, beginners usually bet either too little or too much. For example, some players increase it by 5-6 times. Beginners can also bet minimum amounts with good cards (two pair or ). Ideally, your bet should be such that you maximize your possible winnings and minimize your losses.
5. Chasing the best combination. Very similar to the third point. Beginners very often stay in the hand, hoping that their hand will improve. These could be possible flushes and straights, or even a royal flush. The main thing is to understand whether it is worth trying to catch a combination or not.
6. Revaluation of marginal cards. A very common mistake: beginners enter the game with cards that look very good - but appearances are deceiving. For example, these are suited cards or figure cards with a bad kicker. You can also include cards like QT, KJ, A9. With such pocket cards, it is very unlikely that the flop card will give you a winning hand. These cards are not useful, but understanding how to play them comes with experience. Even if you have a pair, you can easily be beaten.
7. The influence of emotions on the game. If you've had a hard day or lost several hands, your emotions will certainly affect your decisions. It is likely that playing on emotions will only bring you losses. Beginners often cannot calm down during the game, and this prevents them from “reading the table” - noticing information that could help them win. If you feel like you made a decision based solely on emotion, stop and think again.
8. Playing without position. In addition to the cards themselves, there are many factors in poker that influence players' decisions. Your position, that is, your place at the table, is one of these factors. For example, if you are the last to make a decision, you can see how the players sitting before you behaved. The mistake beginners make is that they often place bets regardless of their position and without a plan for the hand. You can learn more about playing in and out of position by reading previous lessons in this course
9. Too much. Some beginners only think about . You need to understand how often you need to bluff to avoid becoming predictable. If you constantly bluff, your opponents will stop believing you and will very often call your bluff, winning more and more of your chips.
10. The game is not according to . It is very important to manage your money correctly. Beginners do not understand the importance of playing . You shouldn't sit down at the table with all your money or money you can't risk. Are you a great player? This will not save you, poker is unpredictable.
11. The game is not according to the bankroll. Master the basics. Learn to evaluate. Remember that luck in poker is only a small part of it. You can win one day or a week thanks to luck, but over the long term it is the skill of the game that has a positive result. Many players tend to attribute their wins to their own skill and their losses to bad luck. Accordingly, the player begins to overestimate the level of his own skill.
12. Primitive game. Very often, a beginner, having mastered some basic playing techniques, begins to use them thoughtlessly. In this case, his game becomes too predictable for his opponents. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to alternate different techniques and strategies. Besides, good player always adapts to the playing style of his opponents in order to exploit them weaknesses with maximum benefit for yourself.
13. Analysis of your own game. If after each gaming session you do not analyze your game in order to identify the mistakes you are making and eliminate them from your game, then you will never become a winning player.
14. A game when there are other thoughts in your head. When playing poker you need to focus on the game. If for some reason you are constantly distracted and cannot concentrate, then the best solution would be not to play poker for some time. Sometimes it’s worth resting even for a day or two. And when you have strength and sobriety of mind, start playing.
15. Wrong choice of table. If you feel that the players at the table are too strong for you, simply change the table. Remember that you play to make money. Look for a table with weaker players. It is the weak players who will provide you with income.

What to do next?

If you are reading a theoretical course from the very beginning, then you have already accumulated a lot useful information about such a wonderful game as poker. We revealed the basics of the game and showed some key points that will help you become a successful player. We hope that the wisdom of strategy and tactics, which we will talk about at the next two levels, will make you a true professional.

Before you move forward, we recommend contacting one of our managers and enrolling in a training course. What is this for? First, you will be enrolled in a group with an experienced coach who will tell you how to start making money playing poker. Secondly, you will begin practice, you will play poker, and after that the coach will analyze the hands you played and explain where you are making mistakes. Thus, your game will be transformed beyond recognition, and within a month you will feel how far you have come in poker. Together with group training, we recommend switching to new level in the School - advanced section.

To become a successful online poker player, it is essential to use the right strategy but it is equally important to make as few mistakes as possible. Even experienced players often make mistakes both at the table and outside the game. Let's look at three of the most common mistakes online poker players make. Check them out and try never to do them again!

Distracted attention

In modern life there are a lot of distractions: TV, social media, smartphones and, of course, other people. Try to play online poker while being distracted by some of them, and your chances of success will be minimal. However, in most cases these temptations are difficult to avoid. If you are doing other things at the same time while playing on PokerStars, you will never be able to play to your full potential. You risk overlooking bluffing opportunities, missing basic information about your opponents, and even making a bad call that will cost you a lot of chips. Try minimize distractions, those around you during the game. Close your browser, stop typing on Twitter during a hand, and focus as much as possible on what's happening at the table. The result of your game may depend on this.

Trying to play too many hands

In cash buy-in tournaments and cash games, the top players play 18-26% of all hands. As you can see, successful players fold much more often than they call or 3-bet. If you are doing something wrong, you should correct this mistake now. If you try to play too many hands, you will inevitably find yourself in a situation where your hand is inferior or, even worse, outright inferior to the hands of your opponents. Typically, such situations arise when you raise with weak aces. Any Ace with a kicker weaker than Ace-Jack has a good chance of becoming a dominant hand when raising. The flop comes an ace, and you are very likely to lose a big pot if you don't have enough discipline in order to fold top pair. It is much easier to avoid such situations from the very beginning! Try to raise with small pairs or suited connectors rather than aces mediocre- get rid of them without hesitation.

Make your overall play tighter to avoid situations where your hand is dominated and to increase the likelihood that you have the best hand. Raise only with strong hands such as suited A-T+, K-J+ and Q-T or better. Although this style of play can be neutralized by experienced opponents (they will begin to fold weak hands when you raise and will not let you play), it will help you significantly improve your basic poker skills and you will stop losing chips, playing a lot of hands with weak hands.

Participation in cash games that you should not participate in

In poker, players are in a unique position compared to almost any other game or sport because, to a certain extent, you can choose your opponents. Imagine if Leicester City could pick Aston Villa as their opponent every week - they would be top of the Premier League by an even greater margin than they currently are! In the PokerStars cash game lobby, you can see all the players at each table and decide whether to join and buy chips. If you have played with any of the players before, the knowledge gained will help you decide whether this game is for you or not. If none of the players are familiar to you, it would be a good idea to watch a couple of hands at the table and study the opponents before entering the game.

The most important thing to remember is that you not obliged stay at a certain table if you feel you are not up to its level. No one will judge you if you leave this table and move to another one where it will be more interesting for you to play or easier to win. In fact, this is exactly what professional poker players do.

Try to take into account all circumstances - both at the table and outside the game - to identify common mistakes and increase your chances of becoming a successful player.

To get more tips about winning strategies poker games, create for FREE account PokerStars and come to our school. If you are already a member, make a deposit and implement this strategy at our tables!

If poker is part of your long-term plans, you need to invest a lot of time in learning strategy and other aspects of the game. A mistake in this game leads to defeat and a decrease in your bankroll. Today we will look at the most common mistakes in poker that do not allow beginners to relax and enjoy the game.

Playing a large number of hands

There should be no extremes when playing hands. Violating this rule is the most common mistake in poker. This is the most important thing. Have patience analyze the cards and choose the most appropriate moment, otherwise just waste your money.

Poker can seem like a boring game to a beginner if he has to fold all the time. As a result, to add some action, he starts calling every preflop. Of course, there are no good reasons for this in the form of a strong hand. The main thing is the opportunity to play at least on the flop. And the more this opportunity is used without reinforcement, the poorer his stack becomes, since the flop reveals that there is nothing to offer other than, say, a pair of deuces. Natural fold and chips lost paying for the call.

Error in overestimating hand odds

The error is closely related to the previous point. A novice player only needs to get a pocket ace or some small pair to assure himself that he will certainly win the pot with this hand. 3-3 will definitely beat 2-2 in value, and then suddenly something else will turn up. Yes, ace great card, the main kicker, but when in company with him you get, for example, 5 or 6 of any suit, this hand is practically worthless.

Understanding the value of a hand should follow a red line from preflop to river(if you got there). You collected two pairs after the fifth card came to the board, great, but during the time you collected this combination it did not become more valuable than a set and other variations on an increasing basis. She still stands third from the bottom after the highest card and a pair. The chances of success are negligible if you bury yourself in own maps and you won’t accompany every decision with at least superficial estimates of the hand distribution in the current hand.

Frequent blind defense

Another common mistake in poker. It is very common for novice poker players to consider it their duty to enter into a pot fight preflop simply because they made a “blind” bet in the small or big blind and the chips they invested need to be won back. Betting and calling raises with marginal hands, and even from the blinds, is downright poker suicide. Of course, it is very rare, but there are situations when professionals play out such a scenario, but to pull it through to a happy ending you need to be a true Texas Hold'em genius.

Trying to get the chips back

Imagine that you inserted a bill into a drinks machine and it turned out to be faulty. He accepted the bill, but did not discard the drink. The situation is unpleasant, but you wouldn't try to load one bill after another in order to return the first one or at least get your drink. The only sure way out is to stop.

It’s the same with poker: the more you invest in a mechanism that definitely won’t work for you at a particular moment, the more you lose. This error is typical for all rounds of trading and this is its main problem. $2 for a call on the flop, $4 for a call on the turn, and on the river sad, fold and minus $6, provided that the mistake from the previous point was not made.

Too much bluff

Bluffing is a great technique, very elegant and profitable, but it should never turn into paranoia. Nothing in poker should turn into paranoia. It is clear that in the process of learning the nuances of poker, no technique always works smoothly, everyone has gone through this, but you need to use your own internal brakes.

Bluffing is an element of your unified gaming strategy. Every strategy has a goal. No, in this case, “taking the pot” or “just winning” is not the goal, but abstract nonsense. The goal could be to play a straight draw against an opponent who most likely has a maximum set ready, or, for example, to dilute the general line of behavior with new elements. That is, game situation There are some features and prerequisites for bluffing, but it will not be repeated often.

Bluffing with or without reason, firstly, will not bring the desired profit, and secondly, it will deprive not only the lion’s share of the stack, but also basic respect. You will simply be used as a “pump” for the bank.

Another Poker Mistake: Predictability

A question that often comes up from beginners is: “What does it mean not to be predictable if everyone gives the same advice regarding what to do in a particular situation?” A very controversial opinion. How to avoid this mistake in poker? Poker is played with people, and any game with people is a ball of water that can take millions of unique shapes depending on external conditions, but remains water in the form of a ball.

Change the size of bets on individual streets, vary the range of hands for aggressive actions, change the sequence of actions - by and large there are few options, the main thing is to be able to understand what and how to formulate them in a particular case. Only constant practice can teach you this.

Beginner poker players tend to make a lot of mistakes. It is these mistakes that become the main obstacles to success. And even well-known professionals at the beginning of their careers admitted them more than once.

Unfortunately, many beginners, after many failures due to their mistakes, never become professionals. They will continue to lose, and then they may quit the game altogether. But there is no reason why you should continue to make these common mistakes. And now we will analyze the most common of them in order to get rid of these errors in the game once and for all.

1. Beginners play the wrong games

Before you start playing poker seriously, you need to determine which discipline is most suitable for you. For example, do you enjoy or prefer to compete for big wins in tournaments?

This style means that the player must be selective about starting hands and from what positions he will play them. This also means that when a player enters the game, he will play aggressively. This seems quite simple, but many newbies fail to stick to this strategy.

They start playing too much, limping into the game, and underestimating the importance of the position. There is no need to reinvent the wheel - first, just learn to play TAG style. There are many educational materials to help you with this.

5. They don't play against weak opponents.

For experienced players and professionals, it is obvious that in poker you need to hunt weak opponents. But many beginners don’t understand this. You need to play against weak opponents as much as possible in order to make a profit.

Poker is unique gambling, because here you are not playing against the casino, but against other players. Therefore, your results will be directly related to who is opposing you.

And novice players often make the mistake of sitting down at a table full of regulars who happily start winning money from them. As it was said, “if you can’t find a loser in the first half hour at the table, then the loser is you.”

Here's a rule you should follow - there should always be at least one fish (weak recreational player) at your table. You must be able to quickly determine the level of your opponents. And try to play in poker rooms with weaker fields of players.

6. They don't leave because of bad tables.

Remember the children's game when you have to walk around the chairs, and when the music stops, you have to sit down? The player who did not have time to take a place leaves the game. This is somewhat reminiscent of poker. Here you need to be constantly on the move and look for the most advantageous positions.

Many players simply sit down at the first table they come across and play there until the end of the session. But winning players know that this is not the case. After all, if there are no weak recreational players at the table, then the game will be a waste of time, and may even end in the red.

You won't be able to make money if you constantly fight against strong players. And this needs to be understood from the very beginning of your poker career. Experienced players always leave the table on time as soon as they realize that there are no weak players to take advantage of.

Remember this: if you can't explain why this particular table is profitable to play now, then you should change tables now.

7. They don't have a "killer instinct"

For many players, learning is quite a difficult task. For most poker players, it is much easier to play passively - check and call - than to act as an aggressor - bet and raise (especially if there is no premium hand).

But winning poker players know that it is an aggressive playing style that will bring profit. There are situations when you can play passively and use slowplay. But in general, you are better off choosing aggression, because strong hands will not come in too often.

You need to understand that often in hands no player will have a strong hand. And then you need to take control and fight for the banks. You shouldn't play like a fish - constantly limp in the hope of seeing the flop and hitting. Poker is a business, it's a game of courage.

Your goal is to take money from your opponents. It doesn’t matter if you are considered an aggressor. Poker is not a place where you should care what others think. All top professionals know that aggressive poker is the winning style. Put your opponents on tilt. Do whatever it takes to win their money.

8. They play at too high limits

There is a mistake that novice players very often make, and which is very dangerous - playing at too high limits, higher than the player’s skill.

It is very difficult, for example, for a player to come from offline poker, where he played good tournaments, and sit down at the tables online with a bet of only $2 or $5. Such a player will feel like he is playing for play chips or Monopoly! But here’s the problem: you can’t compare offline and online limits; their skill level is significantly different.

This is why it is recommended for new players to always start with the lowest limits available online - that is, NL2 (max BI $2) or NL5 (max BI $5). Even if you think you can easily beat these limits, force yourself to play at them for a few weeks.

Prove to yourself that you can rise higher, and only then move on. There is no need to rush in poker; high stakes limits will not escape you.

9. They don't have the right bankroll

Another common problem that is often seen among new poker players is playing with an inappropriate bankroll. For a cash game today, it is desirable to have at least 30 BI for any limit. But in fact it is better to have 50 BI.

That is, if we talk about the NL2 limit, then you will need at least $60 to start the game. And if you want to play NL5, then don't start without $150.

You may ask why such a large bankroll is needed for such small limits? Because in modern poker, even at micro-limits, the variance is very high. A strong experienced player can easily get into a downswing of 10 or even 20 BI at the micro-limits.

So if you go into a game with a bankroll of less than 30 buy-ins, you can easily predict the likely outcome of the game yourself. And soon you will need a new deposit. And losing your entire buckroll is also very harmful from a psychological point of view. The fear of losing everything is very dangerous and will prevent you from making the right decisions.

Try to start your career with the right first steps, make a deposit of the required size. This means a minimum of 30 BI for cash games and a minimum of 100 BI for tournaments.

10. They lack patience

Most players come to poker to win money. This game can bring in huge profits, but you need to understand that poker is not a “fast track to easy money.”

Real professionals have been playing poker for years and decades, for them it is a real job. And during this time they pass, which can last for weeks and months.

You need to understand that you won’t achieve anything in poker in one day, just like in a week, or in a month. You must immediately tune in to a long-term game, to constantly work on yourself. You will also need superhuman patience. If all you are interested in is making quick money, then this game is probably not for you.

11. They are too superstitious

In poker you can see many crazy situations - for example, losing with quads against quads higher, a big bad beat in the pre-finals of an expensive tournament. And such situations simply cannot leave novice players calm.

Poker can be very unfair sometimes. One giveaway can change an entire life. An example is when Jonathan Duhamel was able to beat Matt Affleck's pocket of aces on the river at the World Series with jacks. It was Duhamel who then won this Main Event, and he received almost $9 million. And if the aces had held out, Affleck could have become the champion.

When this happens, new poker players can become very superstitious. And they start changing their game because of crazy theories. Beginners may think that they always lose with aces, that they will always be run over. And then they begin to miss profitable opportunities and make completely wrong decisions.

But here's the problem - in fact, the world of poker is ruled by . And poker doesn't care which hand you think is your favorite and which hand you don't like. In poker, it is very important to always follow the right strategy and make the most profitable decisions.

Sometimes your game won’t go well, the map won’t work. But you need to focus on what you can control - your own game and decisions. At the top of an upswing or in the middle of a downswing, you still have to play the same game. This is what separates ordinary players from professionals.

12. They take the game too seriously

And the last mistake that many beginners make is that they take the game too seriously. Understand that you will experience a lot of brutal bad beats in your career, as well as a lot of terrible plays from your opponents. And don’t waste your time on constant complaints and emotions, don’t go crazy over it.

Do not forget that for a short distance the element of luck is of great importance. And if you take losses too seriously, you simply won’t be able to continue playing. You will certainly have periods when you simply cannot win anything. Believe me, the same thing happens to the best professionals.

What's the point of being angry or upset about it? If you have a suitable bankroll and work on your game, then the upswing will certainly come.

Of course, no one likes to lose, and it hurts. It’s especially offensive to lose to some idiots because of travel. But remember that poker is a marathon. You have not days and weeks of play ahead of you, but entire years. And if you work on yourself, you will definitely become the one who laughs last.

Final Thoughts

Poker is easy to learn, but becoming a master at it is quite difficult. And you need to understand that not all questions in poker strategy currently have clear answers. But there is one trait that is characteristic of all the best poker players, – they always continue learning and working on themselves.

For beginner players, the poker path is not easy, especially in modern realities, when the game has become more difficult even at low limits. There are a huge number available information, but it may be difficult for a beginner to figure it all out, and therefore he will make common mistakes.

But don't be afraid of mistakes. From the experience of many players, we can conclude that it is possible to achieve success at low limits, and it is not that difficult to do. First, choose a discipline for yourself and start playing at the lowest limits, while having a sufficient bankroll. Use a simple tight-aggressive strategy, and always try to play at a table with at least one fish.

Make sure you always stick to the same strategy, regardless of your current results. If your emotional and physical state leaves much to be desired, learn to stop and take breaks from the game. don't be afraid to let your opponent win the battle. Remember that the main thing is to win the war.

By David Sklansky

How does it happen that one person always wins at poker and another loses? You can give an answer in different ways, but they all boil down to one thing: a successful player does the right thing much more often in important situations. In other words, he makes fewer major mistakes. What mistakes does a bad player tend to make? At first glance, it may seem that in poker you can make large number bad games(i.e. because there are many wrong options). However, in reality, they all fall into at least one of these eight categories.

When someone plays limit poker, there are five possible actions. If he moves first, he can check or bet. If someone raises, they can call, raise, or fold. (How much to raise or raise is an additional decision-action in NL poker. Thus, NL adds the ability to bet or raise the wrong value. This error will not be covered in this article.) All games of limit poker can be boiled down to these five actions . Accept wrong decision- this is only the only mistake that can be made. Every mistake in poker can fall into one of the following eight categories:

Check when you should bet.
- Beth, the right thing to do is check.
- Call when you need to fold.
- Call, but you need to raise.
- Fold when you should call.
- Fold if you need to raise.
- Raze, the right thing to do would be to call.
- Raise when you need to fold.

These mistakes are made by both bad and good players. However, some are worse than others and a bad player is more likely to make one of the critical mistakes. Let's explore each of the previous ones. possible errors.

Mistake #1: Checking when you should bet.

It is one of the most general and critical. When there are a lot of cards in the deck that will strengthen us, it will be correct to bet for the future if you go first. This is true even if your hand is second best, and it is especially true if you called your opponent's bet after you checked. Beth kills two birds with one stone. Your opponent may fold if his hand is not as good as you think. Also, even if he doesn't fold, you'll be showing your strength, allowing you to steal the pot a round later.

Mistake No. 2: Beth, it’s correct to check.

This is not as common and critical a mistake as #1, but it can become one. Novices often make this mistake when all the cards are dealt and they raise a decent bet, but can be pinned down by chels with the best card. Trying a hopeless bluff is another example of such a mistake. The best players will sometimes make this mistake when they increase by cool hand at the end to make more sweat. But in fact, it would be more correct to make a check, because... If I raise right away, my opponent will fold, and I want to give him an opportunity to bluff.

Mistake #3: Calling when you should be folding.

This mistake is made by most players in the early rounds of raising because they do not understand the concept of effective odds explained in my book Poker Theory. In short, the concept suggests that you shouldn't go with a particular card even if it looks like you're getting good odds due to raises.

Another situation in which players make this mistake is when they don't consider the fact that they will get the right hand but lose with it. However, this error is critical in the early round of promotions. Those. Don't catch second pair against an obvious flush. Another example of mistake #3 is calling to increase the pot when your hand is not the best.

Mistake #4: Calling when you should raise.

This is probably the worst mistake and the most common. When there is a lot of money in the pot, it would be better to raise your opponent's bet. Most players would do this, feeling that their hand is better. But when they feel that she is much better, they simply call, hoping to lead the bettor into a trap. But they are wrong. You really need to have a monster to slow play in this situation. And even with a raise on our part, there is no guarantee that the opponent will fold or not reraise.

Mistake #5: Fold when you should be calling.

This mistake is not that common, but can be critical if made. It is often done by good players. When they do this, usually all the cards are dealt and they just want to save the last bet. A player who folds like this 40% of the time he raises could end up making a lot of money. It's hard to save the last bet with a good bet against someone who could use it to their advantage. If you are wrong at least once out of five, it can cost you dearly.

Mistake #6: Fold when you have to raise.

This doesn't happen that often. But sometimes it really is possible when you have the opportunity to cheat at the end of a tough player who folds on the last bet. This is especially effective when you check-raise against a good player while bluffing. However, your chances of success with such a game should be higher than usual, because... you're risking two bets to steal the pot.

Another case of this error can occur when you are one card short of completing a hand, but receive poor odds for calling. Half bluff with a raise - best option in such a situation, if there is a chance you can take the pot right here. This is often the case with unmade straights or third-best pair but with an A-kicker. In fact, even if you get good odds to call, it's still better to raise.

Mistake #7: Raise, but calling would be correct.

This is also a rare error. However, there is one situation where it is done often. This happens in multi-pots when all cards have been dealt. Let's say a player bets against you. You are confident that you will beat him and he will also call your raise. However, if he reraises, he will probably beat you. Meanwhile, there are one or more players to your left who will probably call with a worse hand than yours. Raise would be a bad option in this case, because... calling can win two bets without risk.

A less common example of this error occurs when you have a strong coming hand in a multi-pot. Most players will not raise against a forehand bettor for fear of throwing out other players. With a certain hand, of course, it would even be wrong to raise against a bettor on the left who has received a couple of callers. If he's a good player, he'll re-raise against you, which can be very bad. However, this is not such a clear-cut situation. For example, if you have a small, holey straight flush, you don't mind it knocking other players out.

Mistake #8: Raising when you should be folding.

This mistake is usually made by masters, because they know many situations when in a game you need to raise or fold, calling is no longer an option. However, sometimes fold, raise and call have better range potential than raise, fold and call. In other words, even though raising is better than calling, folding is even better.

When deciding how to play a hand, you will never be sure where you might make a mistake. When you decide to take a risk, understand that a mistake can do two things: cost you an extra bet or cost you the pot. Obviously, the second result is worse. This result comes from mistakes No. 1, 4, 5 and 6. These are the most costly mistakes that pros make the least. When in doubt, it is much better to lose the bet than to lose the pot. It will cost you one, maybe two bets if you made mistakes #2,3,7 and 8. (Note, however, that mistake #3 can cost you several bets if made early on.) What comes out of all this? To play poker successfully, it is better to play relatively few hands, but do it aggressively.