Top 5 Poker Mistakes to Avoid When Playing Online

Posted: May 25, 2020

Updated: May 25, 2020

Learning how to be a good poker player is a long process. It includes learning how to make strategic decisions and how to control your emotions. However, there is a bunch of common mistakes that even professional poker players do. We have prepared the list of 5 poker mistakes to avoid in order to improve your skills.

Tip #1: Don’t get distracted

Although poker is a pretty intense game, you will have to stay static most of the time. You might be surprised, but getting distracted is one of the most common mistakes at the poker table. Even if you have a winning hand and your opponents aren’t professional poker players, the loss of attention can play against you. There are always a lot of distractions around us, especially in such a place as a casino. This is relevant for both online and land-based casinos. Sometimes, you start to look around and get distracted by colorful banners or your own thoughts during the game. As a result, instead of concentrating on the game and using every opportunity, you miss the point where the tide of the game has been changed. If you decided to play poker, try to leave other thoughts behind and concentrate on what’s going on at the table. Staying focused is sometimes even more important than having a good hand.

Tip #2: Don’t call too often

This mistake is especially widespread among occasional poker players. They prefer taking a lot of hands, assuming that this would increase their chances of getting a good combination. And this is understandable because calling is much more fun than folding. Instead of examining their hands carefully, occasional players simply prefer to rely on their luck and call. However, this is considered a poor poker strategy. Statistically, professional poker players call around 20% of the time - this is less than a quarter. Thus, if you stop playing “loose” and select your hands carefully, your chances of winning will be much higher.

Tip #3: Be flexible

The next point in our list of the most common poker mistakes to avoid is don't stick to your strategy. This tip is especially important for those who play poker online. Online gambling sites in the US allow users to play from the comfort of their room, and some people tend to forget that there might be other players at the table. As a result, they stick to their strategy no matter what happens.

Of course, it is always good to follow a strategy. But sometimes, when the dynamics of the game change, a player should adjust their style and play accordingly. Moreover, if you always follow the same strategy, other players will notice that and it will help them to anticipate your actions. Though, it is relatively easy to overcome this problem. Participating in poker tournaments and freerolls will help you to understand how to adjust your strategy and be flexible. For example, Intertops Poker conducts daily tournaments for players of all levels, so don’t hesitate to use this opportunity and develop your strategic skills.

Tip #4: Select a proper table

Sometimes, the game of poker starts even before you start playing. This means that selecting the right poker table substantially increases your chances of winning. Unlike in live poker, online poker sites in the US allow you to choose from a variety of different poker tables. Sometimes, players don’t want to wait for their turn and just select the table randomly. However, if you only play poker from time to time and you happened to play with poker pros, your chances of winning will be pretty low.

Tip #5: Keep your mind cold

The last tip in our list of poker mistakes to avoid is all about psychology. Finding a psychological balance and keeping your mind cold is very important when it comes to poker. Why do even successful poker players with good strategic knowledge often lose their pots? Because they do not know how to cope with their emotions in case of a losing situation. Being overwhelmed with emotions often cause players to make stupid mistakes. In this case, skills and strategies take the back seat and a player starts to lose focus. In case you have ever noticed that this happened to you, there is a great technique that will help to overcome this state - just take a deep breath, close your eyes, and try to concentrate on what’s going on at the table. Don’t forget that poker is a game of chance and there is always a chance you are going to lose. Bad luck comes, but if you aren’t able to deal with it, you will never move forward.

Conclusion

As you can see, these tips are very easy to follow - stay focused, don’t call too often, be flexible, select the table carefully, and keep your mind cold. However, if you manage to follow these pieces of advice, you will be able to improve your poker skills much faster.