The first thing that you need to do in order to improve your poker style is to brutally and honestly evaluate your style and abilities. Ask yourself during this self evaluation which features of your game are weak, and which are strong. Once you have decided what is working and what is not, then set objectives and goals in order to measure your improvement. Write it all down and look at the list once in a while to remind you of your goals and objectives. You can even look at your list while playing because in online poker, no one can see your tell.
Playing Too Many Hands
The biggest money losing mistake that beginners make is to try and play too many hands at one time. Too many hands splits your concentration and keeps you from focusing on the stronger and potentially winning hands in front of you. When a hand is weak early on, get rid of it. Playing a lot of hands out of boredom is guaranteed to separate you from most of your money. Again, you’re not concentrating the way you should. Focus on two or three hands, if you must. However the fewer you play, the better off you’ll be, in the beginning.
A good rule of thumb is to throw at least 70-80% of the hands you are getting pre flop. Don’t ask or reason why, just do it. Count the hands and you will begin to see more quickly, which hands are questionable and should not be played. Spotting and dropping the questionable hands will soon become automatic, saving you money in the long run.
A Good Hand at All Positions
It is important to have a good hand at all positions in order to be successful. If you are not sure what that means, then do some research or check out a book or two written by online poker experts who have studied all aspects of the game. Maybe you want to be become a fly on the wall, so to speak, in order to watch the better players to see how they handle various situations. When you’re playing make a list and count every time that you fold. Make notes about all the hands in the game, as well as how many hands were played. Take these tallies and use them to figure out your pre-flop folding percent. If you are up around 80% this will mean that you are disciplined. If not, then you need to work for more improvement.
One thing to remember is this advice is for full-ring tables only. After you’ve adjusted your folding style, you are ready to go to the next level in online poker playing. Who knows, maybe turning pro is the next step.
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