Beginner Hold'em Mistakes: Playing Too Many Hands

Players starting out in online Texas hold’em can make any number of mistakes. This is part of what makes the game so exciting and fun. Players make mistakes, learn from them and improve, and their bottom line improves as they do. One of the most common mistakes beginners make in Texas hold’em is playing too many hands.

What’s Wrong With Playing a Lot of Hands in Hold’em?

Many people starting out in in Texas Holdem figure that it has to be worth one bet to see a flop. However, in a fixed-limit hold’em game, the amount you can win when you flop an unusual hand usually does not make up for the amount lost all the times you pay that one bet and have to fold when you miss the flop. Furthermore, if you catch even a small piece of the flop, you will be tempted to call another bet, compounding your error. If you make an effort to start with the best hand more often, you’ll probably end up with the best hand more often.

What About Those Guys Who Play Poker on TV?

In the first place, those television broadcasts of poker tournaments are often edited so that you do not see all the hands these players fold. That would not be exciting to watch, so it is not shown. In the second place, those players are playing no-limit hold’em, where hitting an unusual hand can pay off because the amount one can win is only limited by the size of the opponent’s stack. Finally, these players are skilled at getting away from these hands when their opponent is strong, so they are not putting themselves in as much jeopardy as an amateur might be.

What Hands Should A Beginner Play?

Try to stick to big pairs and high cards. The later your position, meaning the later you are to act in the hand, the more hands you can play, but try to avoid playing hands just because they “look nice,” or “feel lucky.”