What’s Your Poker Weaknesses
A poker hand that comes to a showdown means the best hand wins. If you are losing more than half the showdowns you bet into, then something is wrong with your poker game. You must win significantly more than half to make a real profit at the casino.
Losing too many showdowns means you are making multiple mistakes. You need to examine your own play and eliminate common errors.
Are you playing with marginal cards or speculative hands too often? Become more selective about your starting hands, and practice discipline about sticking to this resolution. Create a specific range of poker hands for early, middle and late positions, and then adhere to that rule.
Don’t go to the river every time you think you have a winner that ultimately turns out to be second-best. Learn to fold small pairs when they are beat; and recognize when a drawing hand has long odds to complete. Observe your opponent before proceeding to the river to identify the range of cards you might be up against before you call or raise.
Another common mistake is to slow play a good hand and allow another player to draw out on you at the river. If you have made big hand, like trips or two pairs, make it expensive for an opponent to draw to a flush or straight. Don’t be passive with your good hands.
If your high pocket pair, like Queens, gets beat on the river, then your are not playing aggressively enough. Bet out a big raise before the flop to eliminate players and narrow your field of opponents. Don’t let someone with small suited pockets go to the river and then put a bad beat on you.
