Getting involved in too many hands
This is a very big mistake player’s make which leads to them wasting countless numbers of chips. They play hands out of position, hands which are not worthy of a call pre-flop and call raises with average hands. Stick to the best hands and play the average hands when you have a good position e.g. the button. This will save you chips and help you win more money when you have a good hand as you will not have a table image of a “Calling Station”.
Play money is far different to Real Money
If you have done what we said in our introduction and played a few play money tables, please do not think the type of play that you faced there is anything like that of which you will face at a real money table. Players on play money table have nothing to lose and will stick all their chips in with the worst hand possible because there is no benefit to them winning. If you are playing play money I would advise you to only play for a short while whilst learning the rules of poker and to not get it into your head that this is the type of play you will face.
To ensure you are not left disappointed after you lost your first deposit within an hour, watch a few real money tables at your chosen limit before you deposit to get a feel for the play and to see the difference between play money and real money.
TILT!
All beginner players will experience the dreaded tilt mode. Once you have taken you first bad beat you will be so angry with the stupid move your opponent made you will push all your chips in because, at that precise moment, you couldn’t care less if you lost.
Of course this feeling soon drifts away but by then it is often too late and you are staring at the computer screen with your balance at $0.00. The best way to deal with tilt is to stop playing as soon as you take the bad beat which will take you over the edge. Do something that will help relax you, such as a walk or reading a book, then come back to the computer refreshed and ready to take on your opponents with a clear mind. Eventually players come to terms with bad beats and know they are inevitable. But until then you need to protect yourself from them until you have taken so many you are immune to the pain.
Thinking about the short term
Of course it is down hearting when you made a great play but you still manage to lose to that one outer on the river but you always have to think about the long term. Your luck will even out and the next 20 times your opponents has a one outer he will probably not hit it and you will be left with the rewards for your great play. I hear many players say they are going to fold Kings pre flop because they have been beat with them 3 times in a row. You cannot think like this, KK is the second best starting hand and more times then not, if you get your money in you will come out on top.
Attaching yourself to hands
This can also waste a huge amount of chips to new players. When you look down and see AK, sure it is a great hand. If you do not hit with that AK on the flop and you are facing a big bet, you must always fold. Players get too attached to the hand because they just cannot see how such a good hand like AK cannot hit. They still feel they are in front and waste numerous chips on a hand which is going nowhere. Stay focused and play smart. Sure these sorts of hands are great pre-flop but if you completely miss with the community cards, you will almost always be behind.
