Common Mistakes by Beginners in No Limit Holdem Poker
Many new No-Limit Texas Holdem players get caught in a trap over overvaluing certain hands and not folding their hands when they know they are beat. Being able to get away from hands is a skill that can be difficult to develop, but is a necessary skill, especially in tournament play. Let’s take a look at some situations where a fold may very well save you chips and even your tournament life.
Players will agree that hands such as ace-king suited, ace-queen suited, and ace jack suited can be strong holdings. There are some players that will make extravagant raises and call large raises with this type of hand. I am not saying not to raise at all with this hand, but remember that this hand is still a drawing hand at best. Yes, you can win on the strength of the cards alone in some situations, but do you really want to put yourself at risk with Ace high?
Next, let’s discuss top pair. Many players will make massive moves with top pair. While top pair or top pair with top kicker is a good hand, there are many situations where overplaying the hand can lead to disaster. For example, you hold A-K suited on a flop of K-Q-10. This is a situation where a poker player with A-J can bust you if you are not careful. Another situation that can arise is you hold A-Q suited and the flop comes Q-6-4. You bet out and your opponent raises or even puts you all in. What is the range of hand they could have? Did they raise preflop and you called? Were you the aggressor, and if so, what position did they call your bet from? This is a situation where you might be facing a set. Pocket sixes might call a late position raise. Pocket fours might call, even if the player is loose. Both hands may call a raise from late position hoping to hit a flop. Also, when you are holding A-K, A-Q, or A-J, you kicker is susceptible to over pairs, especially if you were in late position and you called a raise.
Another mistake that is frequently made is players calling all in bets with only a draw and insufficient odds. For example, you hold Ks-Qs and the flop fell 9d-10h-4c. The pot at present sits at 2000. Your opponent moves all in for 6,000. You must call a 6,000 chip bet, which represents 43% of the pot. Assuming that you have 10 outs, you only have a 40% chance to hit your hand. You do not have the odds to make this call.
Many players will call large raises and bets with a big pair and an over card on the board. For example, you have Kc-Ks and you make a big raise from middle position. Late position makes the call as well. The flop falls Ad-4h-8s. Some beginning players will make a continuation bet here. When those players make the bet, many times the late position player will re-raise or put their opponent all in. The inexperienced poker player will then call with their Kings and be left with two outs when their opponent shows an ace. Whenever you have a large pair other than aces, you need to pay attention to the board to watch for an over card. If you raised with a large pair and were called, you need to be aware that you may be facing another pair or someone with an ace.
Loose players are usually of the mentality that their loose play will beat most rocks at the table since rocks play tight. While this may sometimes occur, one common mistake that I see loose players make is bluffing a rock. A rock is a rock for a reason. Their play is solid. If they raised pre-flop, then they have a good starting hand. Sometimes, the flop will hit in such a way where a bluff will win the pot from a rock. When you bet into a rock, and the rock raises, it is time to fold unless you had a miracle flop. Also, if a rock bets into you on a flop, do not try a bluff raise against them unless you have infallible information that the bluff will work. There are two types of players you cannot bluff, a calling station and a rock when they have a good hand.
One final mistake I will discuss today is when players try to make too many fancy plays without understand what they are doing. There are a lot of nuisances of playing No-limit holdem that take years to master. Many beginners will sit down and try a bluff reraise at random to see whether it will work. They don’t take into account that the person that they just bluff reraised only bets out when they have nearly the nuts. Other players will automatically fire a bet to any check. When their opponent checks dark and their bet is reraised, they become confused as to why they were raised. David Williams made a great example of how to turn someone’s hyper-aggression against them in the 2003 World Series of Poker. Williams checked dark to Josh Arieh and he moved all in on the flop. Williams flopped a set and made a well timed double up.
Aggression for the sake of aggression can be a very dangerous thing. Many players will use the quote, “aggressive poker is winning poker.” Another adage that is very appropriate at times in poker is, “Speed kills.” Well timed aggression is a major key to winning at no-limit holdem. Blind aggression puts money in other player’s pockets.
If you cannot come up with a logical reason to make a move beyond just wanting to make the play, do not make the play.
All beginning no-limit holdem players will make mistakes in how they play. That is part of improving your game. By recognizing some common mistakes and taking proactive measures to correct them, you will be well ahead of the learning curve.
