Do you make these Mistakes when Playing Texas Hold Em?

The beauty of Texas Holdem poker is that it is a simple game to learn – yet has many levels of complexity that some players will never master. The most common mistakes made playing Texas Holdem will cost new players a lot of money. Without some basic strategy knowledge and understanding of the game, players making these mistakes will often not even realize they are making them. This article looks at the most common mistakes made playing Texas Holdem to help you start profiting from them today.

We start with the most common Texas Holdem mistake of all – playing hands which are easily ‘dominated’. Next the common beginner mistake of ignoring the importance of table position is looked at. Finally the subtle – yet expensive – error of being the ‘caller’ rather than the aggressor when playing hands is covered.

Domination refers to a situation where one hand is more than 70% favorite to win before the community cards are dealt. The most common mistake playing Texas Holdem is to play too many hands which are easily dominated. The classic case is with hands containing an ace and a small card (kicker).
With Ace-small hands there are several ways to lose money – in fact players who regularly play these hands are liable to lose money very fast. The problem comes when calling raises before the flop. If the flop comes with an ace it is easy to lose money to an opponent who also has an ace but with a king or queen kicker (for example). If you pair your smaller card (for example a 7 or 8 ) on the flop then an opponent with a higher pair is likely to win the pot. The mistake in playing these hands is that you will rarely know where you stand after the flop – and it will usually cost money to find out!

The value of position in Texas Holdem is a key strategy concept that many newer players are not aware of. The central idea is that you will make more money when you are the last to act after the flop, turn and river betting rounds. The reason is that you will see your opponents act before you decide what to do. This allows you to save chips when behind in the hand and build a bigger pot when ahead.

A common mistake is to play too many hands out of position. An example will illustrate this error. If you have a medium pair and are first to act on the flop out of 3 players then you do yet know whether you have the best hand. Betting out will gain you this information, if you are called or raised then your opponents probably have a strong hand.

Contrast this with being last to act with the same pair, the first player bets – the second then raises. Now you know your hand is beaten without parting with any more chips, your position at the table worked to your advantage. Winning players ensure that they play the majority of hands from good position – make sure that you do the same.

Finally, a common mistake in Texas Holdem is to call to often. In all poker games there are two ways to win the pot, you either get all of your opponents to fold or you show down the strongest hand when the cards are revealed at the end. If you are the caller rather than the bettor you are taking away one vitally important method of winning chips. This does not mean you need to raise every hand played – however the benefit of being the aggressor are considerable and this should be your aim in the majority of hands.
Many players compound the common mistake in Texas Holdem of calling too much by chasing hands such as straights or flushes when the odds to do so are not correct. A good understanding of pot-odds and outs is important, as chasing draws against the odds will cost money regardless of the outcome of any individual hand.

To summarize, the most common mistakes made playing Texas Holdem come in three broad categories. The first involves playing too many hands which are easily dominated. The second is ignoring the value of acting last after the flop – known as playing in position. Finally being too passive – calling instead of raising – is a common Texas Holdem mistake.