Most Common Poker Mistakes

Playing a few thousand hands a week in small stakes online, I've noticed these come up over and over:

1. Playing AK, AQ, AJ overagressively after missing the flop. (Continuation bets not withstanding)

2. Overplaying small pocket pairs.

3. Overplaying Ace off-suit w/ weak kicker.

4. Overplaying top midlevel pairs.

5. Not protecting hands (I was super-guilty of this myself until I started reading Sklansky)

Feel free to add to the list or disagree.

[BarronVangorToth]

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3. Overplaying Ace off-suit w/ weak kicker.


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Most of the time, it's playing it at all.

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

[Yahweh]

I'm curious as to whether a check, small bet or a pot bet is correct with AK when you miss the flop whether your first to act or it's checked to you. T.J. says to put in a decent bet and if you get called your done with the hand. What does Sklansky say?

This is a common play online but is it the wrong play?

good question on the AK missing...

i think the answer depends on position, texture of flop, most importantly the type of opponents you are playing with and the number of players who saw flop.

against 3 calling stations who probably hit on J93 (two suited) flop, then check.

i know harrington loves the continuation bet, but that's no-limit against pretty much very good players. harrington's book seems to think 3 callers (other than you) on flop is loose. where most of us play, i'd say that's tight or typical.

but i've been wrestling with the exact same issue... and wondering when people like to fold. when bet doubles on turn or on river when there are no more cards... my experience is that there has to be alot of danger on board for a low limit passive game NOT to go to showdown.

miller SSHE has alot of stuff on this. although even he i think assumes some fold equity which i just don't see in low limit passive.

BTW, ace-low kicker offsuit seems like the biggest bad play by fish... saw a woman beside me though (i could see her cards and i was out of hand) spend 45 seconds deciding whether to call her pocket 8's against 3 caller on river with AKJxx board. i mean, come on!!! only time in my life i wanted to give advice during a hand.

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Feel free to add to the list or disagree.

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Didn't Professors Sklansky and Malmuth already cover this in an essay some years back??

i defintely would make a pot sized bet, or if possible make a CR that is large enough to make any draw a -EV call, and you get a free card if they just check behind you and depending on the texture of the flop with the turn i might fire again, but im sure T.J. knows what hes talkin about. gotta try to take the pot, not defending your money is one of the most common mistakes i see online.

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not defending your money is one of the most common mistakes i see online.

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It could equally argued that over-defending your money is a huge mistake made by so many.

You need to forget that it's your money, after you bet it's just money in the pot.... And should be looked upon as such, don't get too attached to it, or you'll never be able to fold a losing hand......

[Don Olney]

1. Over estimating your ability at the table
2. Game selection
3. Hand selection
4. Post-flop play
5. Calling with the wrong draws
6. Fancy play syndrome
7. Ability

[adios]

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1. Over estimating your ability at the table
2. Game selection

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Legitimate errors but not the type of rrors original poster had in mind I'm fairly certain. But these are something vital to your bottom line IMO.


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3. Hand selection

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This encapsulates two main broad category of errors, too loose or too tight in hand selection.

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4. Post-flop play

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In flop games there are so many errors made post flop that I'd change this to lack of knowledge of correct stategic play after the flop. Non flop games are obviously not covered by this one.

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5. Calling with the wrong draws

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I might change this to making -EV calls when drawing.

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6. Fancy play syndrome

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Interesting just might be one but never considered it as one.

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7. Ability

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Something that pertains to 1. and 2. above IMO.

[adios]

Sklansky did in his essay the Eight Misktakes in Poker that is part of his book getting the best of it.

1) Calling when you should fold.

2) Calling when you should raise.

3) Folding when you should call.

4) Folding when you should raise.

5) Raising when you should fold.

6) Raising when you should call.

7) Betting when you should check.

8) Checking when you should bet.