Playing Texas Holdem with the company of friends at your house is a fun way to spend the night. Imagine having your best buds gathered around you at the poker table, laughing the night away, with bags of potato chips and cold drinks at hand. But how about when you are playing in a tournament? Well, that is not so much fun and relaxed as the scenario above.
Playing in a tournament is a whole different story. You’re up against some of the best players in the world, and the stakes are much higher. So, you should expect some pressure, especially if you are a beginner. Also, when playing in a Texas Holdem tournament, you don’t have a home-court advantage unless it is done online!
So, if you’re considering taking your talents to a Texas Holdem tournament, here are some mistakes you’ll want to avoid making.
1. Texas Holdem #1 Mistake: Concentrating on Your Hand Only
The first mistake many players make is focusing all their attention on their own hands. Of course, you should pay attention to your hand, but you should also consider the other players’ hands. If you’re only focused on your own cards, you will not be able to make strategic decisions about the other players.
In Texas Holdem, anticipating what your opponent has and could be building is equally important in deciding whether you continue or fold at the poker table. This is why it is so important to know the hand rankings by heart.
Pro Tip
Sadly, some players play high-stakes poker without mastering the different winning hand combinations and rankings. Smarten up your game by signing up at the world’s largest poker room, GGPoker, and play some free online poker to start your journey! If you are brand new to the game, visit the GGPoker school and learn to play Texas Holdem the right way.
2. Not Staying calm
Some players get so nervous when playing in a tournament that they can’t think straight. If you’re one of those who get really nervous when playing Texas poker, then you’re not going to do very well in a tournament. You need to be able to stay calm and think clearly if you want to have any chance of winning.
One way to stay calm is to take deep breaths and try to relax. It’s also important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, so even if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. Just try to learn from it and move on.
3. Going Gung-Ho With Your Hands
Another mistake players make is playing too many hands. In a tournament, you can’t afford to be playing every hand because you’ll quickly run out of chips. It would be best if you were more selective about the hands you play.
This is especially true with your hole cards. Hole cards are the first two cards the dealer gives you pre-flop (before the last five community cards are dealt.) A lot of players (especially beginners) tend to think that they always need to find out the strength of their hole cards and end up digging their own graves after the flop.
A good rule of thumb is only to play hands that have the potential to make a big pot. For example, if you’re dealt a hand like A-K or A-Q, you should definitely play it because there’s a good chance you’ll make a big pot. However, if you’re dealt a hand like 7-2 or 5-9, you should probably fold because you’ll not likely make a big pot with those hands.
4. Overvaluing Medium Strength Hands
This mistake is similar to the one above but worth mentioning separately. A lot of players tend to overvalue medium-strength hands and end up losing a lot of chips.
For example, let’s say you’re dealt a hand like J-10. The flop comes Q-9-J. In this scenario, many players would be tempted to bet big here, but that’s a mistake. Why? Because there are a lot of other hands that can beat you.
For example, if your opponent has A-Q, they have a better top pair than you. The point is, you should be careful when you have a hand that’s not a big hand or a monster hand.
5. Not Bluffing Enough
This is a mistake that many players make when they play Texas Holdem – especially beginner players. They are so afraid of bluffing that they never do it. The truth is, if you never bluff, you’re not going to win very much.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you should always be bluffing. That would be a bad idea, too. But you should definitely bluff sometimes because it can help you win pots that you wouldn’t have won otherwise.
6. Bluffing Too Much
Let’s emphasize this; Some players bluff too much. They think the only way to win is by bluffing, so they try to bluff every hand. This is a bad idea because eventually, your opponents are going to catch on, and they’re going to start calling your bluffs.
A good rule of thumb is to only bluff when you have a good chance of winning.
Let the Games begin!
Poker tournaments are a great way to test your skills and win some money. But, if you’re not careful, you can easily make some costly mistakes.
Now that you know the six of the biggest mistakes players make in Texas Holdem tournaments, it’s time to start playing. Remember, the key is to avoid these common lapses, and you’ll be on your way to success. Good luck!
