Thursday, April 24, 2008

Common Mistakes Beginners Make In Poker

By Chris Channing

Poker is a card game that has resulted in many wins, losses, and millions of dollars of winnings around the world. A game with such popularity and prestige is, likewise, a very good card game to learn. But poker isn't something one can pick up overnight- it takes a lot of practice and learning. But following some certain tips, beginners can help shorten the learning curve.

Superstition is an example of one mistake that beginners to poker almost always engage in. While it is common to wish for lady luck to be on your side, performing rituals or focusing attention on good luck charms can be disastrous. If one's attention is focused on menial things such as lucky charms, then there is more chance for making impulsive decisions that can result in huge losses.

A well known trick in poker is to read one's mood while they are playing poker. If one can successfully read the mood of another poker player, they can likely guess if their hand is good or not. Because this is valuable in knowing, and can cause a detrimental loss, it's highly recommended that poker players never loser their cool while at the poker table, just in case their emotions give away their hand.

Statistics show that beginners will commonly participate in more hands than professionals do. The simple reasoning behind this is simple- beginners want to play more hands to explore the game and be entertained. However, this can result in huge losses and the subject of odds should be researched if this describes your poker playing habits. Only through odds can a poker player truly secure a formidable return on investment.

There are many addiction problems related to the game of poker that beginners should always try to avoid. If a gambling problem arises, it can easily destroy the life of the gambler in question. To help avoid such problems, it is recommended that new poker players establish a firm budget that outlines what they can spend and what they can't spend each night.

Lastly, beginners will almost always read cards wrong as they are not familiar with odds. When a beginner sees a hand of similar suites, they almost always think that they are in line for a flush or royal flush. Keep in mind that the occurrence rate of each are very slim- usually around 10% depending on the game of poker being played. In this case, it's best to steer clear of hoping for a flush unless your hand is looking very prominent.

Final Thoughts

No one ever said poker was easy, and if anyone has, they were lying. Poker is considered a sport in many areas- meaning entry into the sport is by far no easy feat. Only through vast amounts of experience, theory, and knowledge of odds can a beginner poker player get a firm grasp on the game. And as luck would have it, this can take months to achieve. Whatever the case, always keep the aforementioned tips in mind so that you save yourself financial strain and hardships in the process.

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