Poker Myths - Help you become better players

[efialtis]

Hey,

since gambling and also poker - which definitely is another story - is big in this forum, I thought I would share an article with some misconceptions regarding the best of all games there are. I hope those tips will help some of you becoming better poker players and make you more money playing poker. Feel free to share more poker myths with the community.

Over the years, a number of misconceptions have built up around the game of poker. Many of these misconceptions seem quite plausible, they just “feel” right, and so they get repeated and elaborated upon so many times that they virtually become axiomatic. Except that they are not true axioms; they are myths. What separates these myths from a relatively benign myth such as thinking that Elvis is still alive somewhere eating his peanut butter and banana sandwiches, is that poker myths will usually end up costing you a great deal of money at the tables. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the most predominant poker myths out there:

˜To win at poker, you have to bluff a lot. No question that bluffing is a critical poker skill. But most new players tend to vastly overrate its importance, and will try to bluff at pots far too often. A successful bluff usually requires certain preconditions (heads-up action, the right type of opponent, the right table image) and works best when a player’s actions in the previous rounds support his bluff — in other words, when he has been representing a strong hand all along. Far too many players keep trying to bluff into opponents who call too much (most low-limit and even mid-limit players fall into this category), or into multiway pots (where the likelihood of a bluff succeeding will decrease very sharply).

Beyond that, many poker players are convinced that even if a bluff doesn’t work, they still must keep bluffing in order to “advertise,” so they can get paid off more on their good hands. In the vast majority of poker games, this simply isn’t true. Again, in virtually all low-limit games and even a great many mid-limit games, your call-happy opponents will pay off your good hands handsomely, without any help from a bluff-advertisement. By bluffing to advertise, you may win a few extra bets on your great hands (which don’t come around very often), but those few extra bets won’t make up for all the money you lost on those futile bluffs. The primary reason to bluff is to try and win the pot, and as stated above, you need certain circumstances for a bluff to work.

˜You can’t beat super-loose games full of bad players. This one has doubtless been fueled by plethora of “good” players who have suffered horrendous losing sessions at the hands of fish who kept calling them down again and again with crappy cards — only to win again and again with improbable suck-outs. Whether those beleaguered players are truly good, or whether their own poker skill is greatly exaggerated in their own minds, is open to question. But the bottom line is: Those fish who keep calling with trash are the source of our poker profits. Yes, uber-loose poker games have variance that’s through the roof, and in turn that means even the best player can drop a huge chunk of money in these games during the short run. But you always want to play against bad opponents in any poker game, and the worse they are, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

˜I’m due for a win. While it’s true that statistically, things even out in the long run, that long run can be excruciatingly long indeed. Just because you haven’t been dealt pocket aces all day, just because you’ve been dealt 20 pocket pairs this session and never once flopped a set, just because you’ve missed your last 11 flush draws in a row, is no reason to believe that you are “due” to have it happen anytime soon. Sure, if you keep playing it will happen eventually, but eventually might be next hand, next session, or next week. Don’t base your poker decisions on the idea that the cards are somehow obligated to start falling your way now after beating you for so long. Cards can be very capricious little things, and they may decide to keep going against for a good long while yet.

˜The main goal in poker is to win pots. No, the main goal is to win money. The only people for whom this is not the case are recreational players who are simply playing for fun and can afford to lose money at the game. Focusing too much on winning pots, as opposed to winning money, creates a calling-station mentality. Players who try to win as many pots as possible find it extremely difficult to ever let go of a hand. After all, maybe they’ll hit their four-outer on the river, or maybe the other guy is bluffing and second pair really is the best hand. In the meantime, these players keep calling off their money — a little bit on this hand, a little bit more on that hand — in their eternal quest to win the most pots. And at the end of the session these players will find that those little bits of lost money have added up to a net loss for the day. Skilled players focus on winning the most money — saving an extra bet by not making a bad call here, and gaining an extra bet by making a value raise there. And for them, at the end of the session, all those little extra bits of earned money usually adds up to a net win for the day.

[YuginKadoya]

I guess you should put the link to the article when you say your gonna share some in here,

http://www.casinocitytimes.com/article/top-10-poker-myths-66223

Well, I think there is a lot of misconception about poker and gambling, That poker is a game of luck but even though you would need all the luck you can get you will still be needing a hefty lot of skill for you to pull a win, Practice makes perfect in the concept of this game you will be needing a lot of practice to be one of the pros.

And the house is not your enemy here because your real enemy is another gambler and some may don't call this gambling anymore because they call this skill games, You don't have to be a math genius to play it but having a mathematical brain will always come in handy,

I think there are a lot of things you will know when reading this article and you will surely see poker in a different perspective.

[efialtis]

I guess you should put the link to the article when you say your gonna share some in here,

http://www.casinocitytimes.com/article/top-10-poker-myths-66223

Well, I think there is a lot of misconception about poker and gambling, That poker is a game of luck but even though you would need all the luck you can get you will still be needing a hefty lot of skill for you to pull a win, Practice makes perfect in the concept of this game you will be needing a lot of practice to be one of the pros.

And the house is not your enemy here because your real enemy is another gambler and some may don't call this gambling anymore because they call this skill games, You don't have to be a math genius to play it but having a mathematical brain will always come in handy,

I think there are a lot of things you will know when reading this article and you will surely see poker in a different perspective.

Are you kidding me? How is this article connected to mine?!?!

[rhomelmabini]

Are you kidding me? How is this article connected to mine?!?!

@YuginKadoya doesn't refer that you are connected to the article just mentioned above instead he just shares it along here for others to view it. Seems it is just a misunderstanding, @YuginKadoya might think that you have cited this topic from an external article because at the beginning of your post you said you wanna share an article, that's it.

Skilled players focus on winning the most money — saving an extra bet by not making a bad call here, and gaining an extra bet by making a value raise there. And for them, at the end of the session, all those little extra bits of earned money usually adds up to a net win for the day.

I only play poker on my PC offline/online, nothing money involved yet as I am not into gambling too but more of leisure only, I know it will be different if you are face to face with your opponent/s. I think poker is a game of luck and concentration and might involve some emotions.

[Vaskiy]

Nothing is gonna make you a better player in gambling. To be a big player it is must to learn on their own and keep on experimenting. Maybe you'll fail continuously but you'll learn some tactics out of the same. When it comes to poker however you practice online/offline without luck nothing gets turned to be a myth.

[stomachgrowls]

Nothing is gonna make you a better player in gambling. To be a big player it is must to learn on their own and keep on experimenting. Maybe you'll fail continuously but you'll learn some tactics out of the same. When it comes to poker however you practice online/offline without luck nothing gets turned to be a myth.

Luck is always been the main thing when it comes to gambling but somehow on poker this isnt the same when it comes on how to win up against other players.

Skills do vary and the ability to make decisions that would fit out on some situation specially when you do see that you are on advantage.Practice makes you more better
since these card games do require the ability to think up on how to handle your cards.

[onrise]

Nothing is gonna make you a better player in gambling. To be a big player it is must to learn on their own and keep on experimenting. Maybe you'll fail continuously but you'll learn some tactics out of the same. When it comes to poker however you practice online/offline without luck nothing gets turned to be a myth.

Their exists few game where experience and strategy works in order to defeat the other person and come out as a winner. Poker is one of such games where you learn over the period of the game you play and the skills you develop help you win.

[YuginKadoya]

Are you kidding me? How is this article connected to mine?!?!

@YuginKadoya doesn't refer that you are connected to the article just mentioned above instead he just shares it along here for others to view it. Seems it is just a misunderstanding, @YuginKadoya might think that you have cited this topic from an external article because at the beginning of your post you said you wanna share an article, that's it.

Skilled players focus on winning the most money — saving an extra bet by not making a bad call here, and gaining an extra bet by making a value raise there. And for them, at the end of the session, all those little extra bits of earned money usually adds up to a net win for the day.

I only play poker on my PC offline/online, nothing money involved yet as I am not into gambling too but more of leisure only, I know it will be different if you are face to face with your opponent/s. I think poker is a game of luck and concentration and might involve some emotions.

Thanks for clearing me out here buddy! And just like you said I am just sharing my own thoughts of a list of the myth's in poker and giving some links that I have read, And I guess some myth about poker was kinda helpful for some players and some are for clearing out some myth about poker,

And for OP clearly, I haven't say anything that linking yours and my article to be the same and connected I am just sharing some myself and that you should put the link as well on where the article you have got your idea Because I guess that this stuff is a good read, That poker is a skill-based game more than a luck base one.

[davis196]

Awesome guide.I hope that more poker players will read it and try to understand the true meaning of those myths..
I agree 100% with the "poker is all about winning pots" type of myth.Poker players,who lack patience always lose,when they are guided by this wrong mentality.
This reminds me of some tips that I was reading in a poker ebook,while I was active at playing online poker 3 years ago.

[squatz1]

People also have to focus on their bankroll. That's a VERY large part of Poker. You may lose a crazy amount of hands even with the best cards, and that's alright - it happens. But at the end of the day if you're able to manage your bankroll properly -- which pretty much means knowing that your poker balance is an investment. Don't get emotional, because sometimes you are going to lose but that's alright.


PICK GAMES CAREFULLY - If you have $10 don't go into $1/2 blind hands. You're going to lose all of your bankrolls very shortly. Start small with what you have. It's an investment after all.

[MonsterV]

Nothing is gonna make you a better player in gambling. To be a big player it is must to learn on their own and keep on experimenting. Maybe you'll fail continuously but you'll learn some tactics out of the same. When it comes to poker however you practice online/offline without luck nothing gets turned to be a myth.

Luck is always been the main thing when it comes to gambling but somehow on poker this isnt the same when it comes on how to win up against other players.

Skills do vary and the ability to make decisions that would fit out on some situation specially when you do see that you are on advantage.Practice makes you more better
since these card games do require the ability to think up on how to handle your cards.

Skills in managing cards are the main thing in poker games, because of course we will always get random cards in each session. Where we have to be able to develop different strategies and adjust the cards we get. Poker is indeed a better game than other gambling games, I think this game is much fairer.

And about some of the myths stated above, there are actually still many people who believe it and apply it as one of their strategies. Sometimes the myths will have no effect on players who already have quite good experience in poker, maybe here the OP has a pretty good experience so he really understands the poker myths.

[Naida_BR]

I guess you should put the link to the article when you say your gonna share some in here,

http://www.casinocitytimes.com/article/top-10-poker-myths-66223

Well, I think there is a lot of misconception about poker and gambling, That poker is a game of luck but even though you would need all the luck you can get you will still be needing a hefty lot of skill for you to pull a win, Practice makes perfect in the concept of this game you will be needing a lot of practice to be one of the pros.

And the house is not your enemy here because your real enemy is another gambler and some may don't call this gambling anymore because they call this skill games, You don't have to be a math genius to play it but having a mathematical brain will always come in handy,

I think there are a lot of things you will know when reading this article and you will surely see poker in a different perspective.

Poker is not a game of luck only.
You need to impact the other players on the table emotionally and let them confused on what would be your next move.
I think that it is mostly based on intelligence and emotional control rather than just luck.

[ryzaadit]

Went everyone sharing a tips/guide for gamble.

But from the article/other people method or strategy. Me: "Laugh-in hidden", Come on bruh if you want to share a strategy at least try by yourself first. You know a motivation right?

"Your motivation doesn't have a value if you are not a successful person"

Poker is not a game of luck only.
You need to impact the other players on the table emotionally and let them confused on what would be your next move.
I think that it is mostly based on intelligence and emotional control rather than just luck.

I agree with this one, emotional will be always a problem with a gamble. I see some tournament poker, the player always wants to push other players emotional. Because how matter your card its "good" or "not" if they can push the player to make a "FOLD"/"Call" decision you are the winners.

[jhongzjhong]

Too long to read OP, it's better if there is summarized and easy to understand.
Playing cards in poker is just like a mind game, you can also have skills of mind reader from other opponents in a table match.
Although poker is not totally based on luck game, still there's also need the luck to win.
For me, if you know how to assemble cards together with luck you are a better player.
Just like this, [The ranking of hands, from lowest to highest value]
-High card. ...
-One Pair. ...
-Two Pairs. ...
-Three of a Kind. ...
-Straight. ...
-Flush. ...
-Full House. ...
-Four of a Kind.

[Upgrade00]

Poker games depends on the players and what he is dealt, so the player also hopes for luck in order to succeed.
A good player with a good combination would have a greater chance than a bad one with the same cards.

[TheNewAnon135246]

Poker games depends on the players and what he is dealt, so the player also hopes for luck in order to succeed.
A good player with a good combination would have a greater chance than a bad one with the same cards.

This is probably the worst description you can give about poker.

[Ulven]

Poker depends heavily on the player's mental abilities while on the table, The more games a player has, the more knowledge and experience will increase the chances of profit.

[maydna]

I only play poker on my PC offline/online, nothing money involved yet as I am not into gambling too but more of leisure only, I know it will be different if you are face to face with your opponent/s. I think poker is a game of luck and concentration and might involve some emotions.

Can you share the name of the poker software you played? I guess that will help us and other people to learn about playing poker and we don't have to risk our money to learn. That will be a good way for us if we can master the poker game before we play using the money and I think we can learn deeper about the poker game. But yes, in the poker game, we will need the luck to win, and yes, I agree that we need to bluff to convince the other player that we have a good card, so they will think that they don't have a chance to win.

[illyiller]

I only play poker on my PC offline/online, nothing money involved yet as I am not into gambling too but more of leisure only, I know it will be different if you are face to face with your opponent/s.

Can you share the name of the poker software you played? I guess that will help us and other people to learn about playing poker and we don't have to risk our money to learn.

Every online poker site offers play money games. At Pokerstars, you can top up 15,000 new play money chips every 4 hours. Check it out: https://www.pokerstars.com/help/articles/pkr-feat-joining-pm-games/6274/

Just keep in mind, play money experience =/= real money experience. With play money, you won't face the same emotions and gambling psychology entailed by having real money on the line. You'll also face much better players in real money games.

[imstillthebest]

Just keep in mind, play money experience =/= real money experience. With play money, you won't face the same emotions and gambling psychology entailed by having real money on the line. You'll also face much better players in real money games.

play money experience is equals to real money experience ? is that what you are tryin to say ? but you also said that when we use play money the experience differs when using a real money  .

you confuse me but i agree on the last part of your sentence  .  playing with play money is not pressure and we can play properly becuase there is no way to loss but when it comes to playing with real money , our gameplay will change dramatically becuase there is a pressure of lossing .