What are the most common mistakes?

[Net Warrior]

In low stakes the most common mistakes I see are preflop, ie. playing any two, any two suited, calling out of position, not raising with AA-QQ AK AQ, raising with drawing hands, and cold calling with weak hands. What are the most common mistakes you guys see in mid-high stakes pre and/or post flop?

[SoBeDude]

Add playing any naked ace to your list. Also staying in a hand way too long. Playing for a gutshot draw. Or playing any draw without the odds.

IMO, in the middle-upper stakes, people really try to play better. which just means they make different mistakes.

But get input from others on what they are doing wrong. They'd be able to provide far better info than I.

-Scott

[Huh]

Probably the most common mistake I see among players with some experience (including myself) is making a call that the pot-odds don't justify, figuring you can make up the bets on later streets, but not accounting for other things.

It is very common that I see people calling with a gut-shot or overcards, without proper odds on a co-ordinated two-flush board. I very commonly see people hit their overcards, check-raise the turn, only to be three-bet by an already made hand. At this point they have inflated the pot to the point where they are pot-stuck and end up paying off the made hand.

I do it, and need to stop. I am having a tough time finding a balnce between getting out of trouble early and defending yourself.

Huh [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[Softrock]

I continue to be surprised at how many players at mid-limits (20-40 to 40-80) basically have an array of hands that they play and play them regardless of the specific situation or the nature of the game. So someone decides that QTs is a hand he/she plays will call 2 cold when a tight UTG player raises. The flip is often true - ie. the person decides he/she does not play JTo so mucks for one additional bet in the BB when getting 7-1 to call.

Even at the higher limits there are a number of people that play rather mechanically and I thnk than's one of the more common mistakes.

[Clarkmeister]

Huh -

It that truly is a leak of yours, then Jim Brier's middle limit book might be a perfect purchase for you.

gl.

[astroglide]

knocking people off losing hands (or the opposite, betting into or raising better hands). both are the result of mindless aggression.

[cybertilt]

Warrior, I don't think blindly raising AA or KK is the perfect pre-flop play. I agree with Abdul (sp) that buying the blinds with these premium hands is a sin. If I'm at a table of TOMs I'm going to limp with them. It has cost me in the past but over all I think the +EV is there.

I do however agree with astroglide, there is no aggresion in the LL games. I see the cut-off and button limp all the time and BB folding when there is a family pot. They just seem to get tied to thier blueprint and blindly follow it.

[Net Warrior]

My original question was “What are the most common mistakes you guys see in mid-high stakes pre and/or post flop?” I gave some examples of common mistakes at low limit and I believe you wanted to pursue that topic so here goes.

I agree with you that low limit players often “just seem to get tied to their blueprint and blindly follow it”. I might have said “weak players” when describing the mistake of “not raising with AA-QQ AK AQ”, but I thought it was obvious. Raising with these hands is mainstream thought. I know that Abdul’s ideas are thought to be solid by many players. I saw the counter argument to the “buying the blinds with these premium hands is a sin” idea posted here some time ago and it made a lot more sense to me. Basically it was that just because AA had a huge +EV number far in excess of the value of the blinds, that +EV number was an average. So sometimes you win much much more than average and sometimes you win less average and sometimes you lose. So take whatever you can get from these hands using the standard “non-self weighing” strategy and raise, except, occasionally limp for deception per HPFAP21. It works for me.

[mikelow]

Not playing against me (he-he). And not raising with raising hands preflop and not betting for value enough.

The hand that has put holdem on ice for me for some time was:

K [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] K [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] in the big blind.

Mid position player raises in a 40-80 game and I just call (???) in the big blind. Pot is four-handed. Flop is:

10 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]

I check (waiting for the turn) and EP bets and preflop-raiser raises and I call (fold?!). Three of us left. Turn is:

[10 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] ] J [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]

I check and raise the original raiser's bet. He reraises and I four-bet (playing him for precisely QQ--why?). My four-bet is called and the river produces a blank. I bet and he calls. I am shown pocket tens--what a shock [img]/forums/images/icons/ooo.gif[/img] . He must have put me on pocket jacks! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Almost every common error was made on this hand. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

[Ed S.]

How about people that protect their blinds just because they are the blind. I've seen people play K,2o and beat my Ace-King when I pre-floped raised and a king falls on the flop but they happen to river a 2. Over protecting their blinds just because they have money in I think is another mistake.


Ed S.