Common Advanced Mistakes
Value
betting is what seperates a great player from just a good player.
Obviously, any person knows to bet when he or she holds the nuts.
However, getting maximum value out of marginal hands is much
trickier.
Value betting is highly situational and game
dependent. For limit hold'em, you should be quite aggressive with
betting. Since the bets are so small in relation to the pot, people
will often call your value bets with extremely weak hands.
For
no-limit hold'em, the situation is much trickier. First, you must get
an accurate read on what the other player has. Putting an opponent on
his cards is not only useful in determining if you have him beaten,
but it is also helpful in determining how much you should bet.
Furthermore,
consider what type of player your opponent is. A casual player will
tend to call bets that are about as strong as his hand. So if you
think a player has a weak hand, make sure the bet is not too large
because you want your opponent to call.
However, if your opponent is a strong player, then you must take into
account what he or she thinks you have. A casual player only thinks
about his own cards, but a strong player is also thinking about your
cards!
A strong player has probably put you on a hand.
Therefore, you not only want to bet based on the strength of his hand,
but you want to bet based on what your opponent thinks you have. For
example, if you think your opponent can only beat a bluff, then you
should make a bet that would seem like a bluff. This bet may be large
or small, depending on the game situation.
Value betting is
so situational and complex that it can never truly be taught. It is
something that great players learn themselves, and it is what gives
them a sizeable portion of their edge against just "good" players.
This seems like a beginner's mistake, but it is actually quite
common among good players. Experienced poker players have played
thousands upon thousands of hands and know what to do in almost any
situation. Because of this, they sometimes do not pay too much
attention to any one game.
Often, they will still win due
to their experience. However, failing to paying attention is a
negative expected value move. Your situational decision-making skills
go down the tubes, and it is much tougher to learn and improve your
game if you are playing three games at once, checking your email, and
chatting on an instant messaging program all at the same time. Failing
to pay close attention will not always turn a winning player into a
losing player, but it means that a winning player will not win as much
as he or she could.
As important as game selection is, many good players neglect
it. This is because their egos get to them. They think they can beat
any game. They sit in the biggest game they can find because they
figure this is where they can make the most money.
Simply
put, these people need to keep their egos in check. Choose a game that
has the highest expected value for you. Keep track of your statistics
using a program. Play in the games that you excel at the most, not
just the games that are the highest your bankroll can handle. Look for
the soft games and pounce on them.
Most advanced poker players tend to experiment with different
forms of poker. A good limit hold'em player will generally give
no-limit hold'em a chance, as well as perhaps pot-limit Omaha. While
there is nothing wrong with experimenting a little, advanced players
tend to make the major mistake of playing limits at these new games
similar to the limit they play at the game they have mastered.
For
example, suppose you are a $5-$10 no-limit hold'em player. You are a
winning player, even at this fairly high-stakes game. You want to give
pot-limit Omaha a chance.
You shouldn't start with the
$5-$10 pot-limit Omaha game. This is clearly a mistake, since you do
not nearly have the type of edge at this game that you would at the
no-limit hold'em game. You need to be cognizant of the fact that you
need to work on your skills at this new game. Diving into a new game
at a limit similar to your best game is almost a sure-fire recipe of
losing because there is a high likelihood that you will not be good
enough at first to win at the new game.
Working your way up
the limits at a new game is often a good idea. This is how you
probably learned the game you play best, so it's generally a good way
to learn how to play new games as well.
Free card plays are advanced moves that good players sometimes
make. These moves are almost always done in late position. One of the
most basic examples is raising with a flush draw at the flop in a
limit hold'em game. When you do this, you hope your opponent just
calls and checks to you on the turn. This way, if you miss the turn,
you end up seeing the turn and river cards for just two small bets,
instead of one small bet and one large bet.
Knowing when to
make a free card play or attempt to re-raise your opponent to break
his free card play is highly situational. It is the type of play that
frequently even good players mishandle because of improper reads or
tactical errors.
Good poker players can generally prevent themselves from going
on tilt or limit the damages from a tilt. However, every now and then
a good poker player will have such a bad streak that it will break
their confidence in themselves. These players will go on an extended
tilt where they start playing poorly session after session, and they
often almost forget how to play poker well in the first place.
Furthermore,
these players will often start to play in tougher, higher-stakes games
that they may not have been able to beat even if they were playing at
the best of their ability.
In short, some circumstances may
set even a good poker player on an extended tilt. While this sort of
tilt is rare, it can last for months at a time, draining a good poker
player of his bankroll.
Next Article:
Intro to 8-Game
