Poker- Why you Lose

[RiverRat]

Most poker players lose money but they don't know why. Here are some tips that will help you identify those leaks and work on them.



Most novice players play too many hands, this is a sure way to lose. Tighten up and you'll see an improvement.

The basic rule "bet when you have it and check when you don't" is true for the most part but you need to learn how to bet for information, and control the table



This is probably the most popular way to spend money at the tables. Especially online where you'll get a caller most of the time. Bluffing is part of the game but do it in moderation and it needs to be believable. Bluffing a missd flush draw board on a non scary card will only get called or raised.

The part about poker that most players don't understand is position. Most of your hands should be played on the button or the cut off. There are exceptions when you may be able to gain position with a raise or re-raise but other than that you should limit your out of position action to really big hands.

Learn how to mix it up, if your only raising with TT-AA then players will catch on. If you only bet when you have a big hand then you won't get action. You need to bluf a little more, and mix up your starting hands.

These are only losing hands if you don't know how to play them. If your new to the game you should fold these hands. A veteran player knows how to play these hands properly and it's really something you can only learn from experience. I pretty much just explained how to play them in the last 5 tips.

Watching poker should be for entertainment only, you won't learn much because the pros are playing situations most of the time and not hand strategy. If you want to learn then try watching the cash game shows LIKE "High Stakes Poker", this is more of a grind than trying to survive in a tournament. But remember try to figure out why they are making certain plays. Just because you saw Daniel Negraneau raise with 85 suited doesn't mean it's a winning strategy, there is a reason why he made that play, try to figure it out.


Tilting is when you're losing and you start playing bad. Pay attention to yourself and know when you are tilting. You really need to control it if you want to win. Here are some ways to deal with tilt:

a) stop playing, probably the best solution.
b) sit out and take a break, gather your thoughts and start back fresh.
c) switch gears to a basic ABC style and tighten up.
d) Take a couple weeks off or even a month

sometimes tilt can last for weeks or mabye months, if you're tilting for more than a single session then you need to take a long term break and shake it off. My longest tilt was 4 months, yeah it wasn't pretty.

You should really practice bankroll management, if you have a $400 bankroll then you shouldn't be playing 200NL you should be on the 25NL tables. Read my money management section.

[5 star bomb]

good read... thanks

[ditt52]

when i lose its because somebody else had a better hand

[Blondie]

Did you write that RiverRat?

If so you have a knack for writing, if not where did it come from if you don't mind sharing...?

[PocketMoney]

Nice post. Good read. Thanks!

[newb411]

thanks for this post

[newb411]

Originally Posted by RiverRat

Most poker players lose money but they don't know why. Here are some tips that will help you identify those leaks and work on them.



Most novice players play too many hands, this is a sure way to lose. Tighten up and you'll see an improvement.

The basic rule "bet when you have it and check when you don't" is true for the most part but you need to learn how to bet for information, and control the table



This is probably the most popular way to spend money at the tables. Especially online where you'll get a caller most of the time. Bluffing is part of the game but do it in moderation and it needs to be believable. Bluffing a missd flush draw board on a non scary card will only get called or raised.

The part about poker that most players don't understand is position. Most of your hands should be played on the button or the cut off. There are exceptions when you may be able to gain position with a raise or re-raise but other than that you should limit your out of position action to really big hands.

Learn how to mix it up, if your only raising with TT-AA then players will catch on. If you only bet when you have a big hand then you won't get action. You need to bluf a little more, and mix up your starting hands.

These are only losing hands if you don't know how to play them. If your new to the game you should fold these hands. A veteran player knows how to play these hands properly and it's really something you can only learn from experience. I pretty much just explained how to play them in the last 5 tips.

Watching poker should be for entertainment only, you won't learn much because the pros are playing situations most of the time and not hand strategy. If you want to learn then try watching the cash game shows LIKE "High Stakes Poker", this is more of a grind than trying to survive in a tournament. But remember try to figure out why they are making certain plays. Just because you saw Daniel Negraneau raise with 85 suited doesn't mean it's a winning strategy, there is a reason why he made that play, try to figure it out.


Tilting is when you're losing and you start playing bad. Pay attention to yourself and know when you are tilting. You really need to control it if you want to win. Here are some ways to deal with tilt:

a) stop playing, probably the best solution.
b) sit out and take a break, gather your thoughts and start back fresh.
c) switch gears to a basic ABC style and tighten up.
d) Take a couple weeks off or even a month

sometimes tilt can last for weeks or mabye months, if you're tilting for more than a single session then you need to take a long term break and shake it off. My longest tilt was 4 months, yeah it wasn't pretty.

You should really practice bankroll management, if you have a $400 bankroll then you shouldn't be playing 200NL you should be on the 25NL tables. Read my money management section.

i guess stop playing is the first and only solution for me personally

[stan21]

Nice post... I would add that Lack of Discipline is a huge factor... When you get tired or antsy or greedy, you make bad decisions.... Poker is a continual quest for improvement, like sportsbetting you try to get you money in with the odds in your favor, but odd swings or unlucky breaks test your will to continue Long term outlook is essential and honest evaluation of your skills and reviewing what works and what mistakes you made are crucial to surviving long term and making consistent profits.