Common Mistakes Online Poker Players Make and How to Avoid Them

The way that many people make money playing online poker is by taking advantage of the mistakes of other players. Online poker players who can play mistake-free poker can win much more often than average players.

Today, we will look at some common mistakes made by new and experienced players in online poker. Avoiding these mistakes will help put you on the path to improving your win rate.

Playing Too Many Hands Pre-flop

A common mistake many beginning online poker players make is playing too many hand pre-flop. This happens for two main reasons. The first is that a player is impatient and itching to get into action. Next, it is common to see many players enter a pot pre-flop online, particularly in low-stakes cash games.

The reality is that only around 20% of Hold’em hands are considered playable pre-flop. Yes, this still applies to online poker. While it is true that you will need to expand your range as you become more experienced, the best approach is to play a solid strategy.

Experienced players can even fall into the trap of playing too many hands pre-flop. Sometimes, it is because they underestimate their opponents’ play or overvalue their hands. They often play junk hands because they are “lucky” or saw a respected player use the hand to win big.

While experienced players can widen their range of play outside of a basic strategy, they still need to play reasonable ranges and strategies. Otherwise, they give away too many chips pre-flop and set themselves up for bigger problems post-flop.

Playing too Many Weak Hands Post-Flop

There will be many times that you will go to the flop with a weaker hand. However, many beginners will continue to play these weak hands post-flop, even when they have not improved.

The problem here is that you are often just chasing down hands in hopes of getting lucky and will frequently give away more to your opponents than you will win on the occasions you get lucky and hit.

Experienced players will also make this mistake when they are overvaluing their hands or playing the hands out of position.

In many cases, when you make it post-flop with a weak hand, start looking for ways to get out of the hand with the least damage to your stack. There are times when it is appropriate to continue with a weak hand, such as being in a position with a dry board against a tight player. However, many of you need more experience before you’re ready for these types of moves.

Bluffing Too Little or Too Much

Online poker players often fall into two categories when bluffing. They either rarely bluff, or they bluff too often.

The first problem of bluffing too little is often because the player is afraid to put in money without a good hand. Unfortunately, this leads to one’s play being too telegraphed. This results in players not getting paid off enough on their good hands.

Adversely, players who bluff too much are either chasing down substandard hands or are making poor attempts to bully the table. In these cases, players don’t respect your raises and end up chasing you down, resulting in big losses.

In this case, you must find a balance for when you bluff. This requires that you do a bit of study to improve your bluff frequency and to learn the best scenarios or hands to attempt a bluff.

Playing Too Many Tables at Once

One of the biggest differences between online poker and brick-and-mortar casinos is the ability to play multiple tables simultaneously. Many online poker players play multiple tables at once, and the best players can comfortably play 20 tables at a time or more.

However, these players did not start by playing 20 tables at a time – or if they did, they regretted it. When you play multiple tables, you divide your focus and force yourself to make many more decisions. This often leads to mistakes and a lot of lost money for players who are not experienced in this information overload.

The best way to avoid this mistake is to start slow in multi-tabling. Start by playing two tables and when you are comfortable and playing mistake-free poker, add another table. Only play the number of tables you feel comfortable with while making good decisions.

Trying to Play Different Variants or Game Styles at Once

All online poker rooms offer multiple variants of poker and game styles. A variant is a different form of poker, such as Seven Card Stud. A game style is the same game played in a different way, such as four-handed or heads-up Texas Hold’em.

Some players make the mistake of trying to play multiple variants or different styles of poker at one time. For example, playing Seven Card Stud and Hold’em together can mix some players up because they are switching back and forth between two different games.

Also, different game styles require different strategies. The strategy for playing four-handed is different than a full-ring game. Trying to mix styles can lead to mistakes and lost money.

The best way to avoid this is to not mix games or styles. However, you can slowly experiment with similar style games, such as heads-up and four-handed Hold’em, or a full-ring cash game and a full-ring tournament.

If you opt to mix styles, do so with just a couple of tables. Don’t play four plus tables of mixed styles, as you will have to switch things up too much.

Poor Bankroll Management

One of the top mistakes new and experienced players make is poor bankroll management. For new players, bankroll management mistakes are often made when players try to play games their bankroll cannot support.

For example, a player will deposit $50 and instantly hop into a low-stakes cash game with a $10 buy-in. Their bankroll can only support five buy-ins at this level, meaning the player cannot survive much variance.

Many sites suggest that you have at least 20 buy-ins for cash games, but I’m going to suggest the old-school approach for new players. This means you should have 30 to 40 buy-ins for cash games and 20 to 30 buy-ins for tournaments.

For example, if you play tournaments with a $10 buy-in, your bankroll should be $200 to $300. If you are playing .50/$1 NL cash games with a $100 buy-in, you should have $3,000 to $4,000 in your account.

Yes, you can play with less money in your account, but you will have less of a bankroll to withstand the natural variance that comes with online poker.

Failing to Learn New Strategies

The top mistake that many online poker players make is failing to learn new strategies. Online poker is constantly evolving, and if you are not evolving with it, you are going to lose money.

There are many ways that you can learn new strategies. You can watch strategy videos online, participate in online poker forums, sign up for poker coaching, read poker books, and more.

If you plan to take online poker seriously, you must spend some time studying the game each week. You don’t have to invest massive amounts of time studying, but some study each week will help improve your game. Of course, the more you study, the faster you’ll improve.

Failing to Control Your Emotions

Online poker players often fall victim to their emotions. Known as tilt, poker players sometimes let themselves get overly emotional over a loss or a string of losses. This leads to players making bad decisions and poor plays at the table.

This mistake is common for many poker players, and it can have devastating effects on your bankroll. The best way to avoid this is to devise a strategy for dealing with tilt.

If you find yourself going on tilt, walk away from the game until you can calm down and make good decisions. For some of you, it may take walking away for an extended period.

A few years back, I spoke with a poker player who had been on an extended losing streak and then suddenly won two straight tournaments for over $100,000. When I asked him about what he did differently, he told me he went on vacation.

He got so upset over his streak that he quit playing for three months. This allowed him to reset and come back stronger than ever. While you may not need to go to those extremes, you do need to be willing to enact an anti-tilt protocol to help prevent making mistakes and devastating your bankroll.

Not Using HUDs and Poker Tracking Software

Some of you will not like to hear this, but if you are not using some form of poker tracking software or HUD, you will fall behind many successful players.

Heads-Up Displays, aka HUDs, will give you a wealth of information on your opponents and their tendencies at the table. You can use this information to improve your play and to spot mistakes from those players.

Poker tracking software will help you look back at your game and find leaks you can fix for future sessions. Hold’em Manager and Poker Tracker are a couple of great programs that will help you improve your game.

While HUDs and poker tracking software are controversial, the reality is that they are necessary tools needed to be competitive in many poker games, particularly if you plan to move up in stakes.

Failing to Look for Mistakes or Error in Play

Finally, the biggest mistake that online poker players make is not looking for mistakes in their game. Whether it is ego or not wanting to take the time to study past sessions, some players will continue playing the same mistake-riddled game for months or years. This leads to big losses and frustration over an inability to win.

Whether you use a poker tracking program, review hand histories, or have a friend evaluate your play, you need to take the time to properly and honestly assess your play. Nobody plays mistake-free poker 100% of the time. However, if you properly evaluate your game on a regular basis, you can find mistakes that you can improve upon and increase your chances of winning at the poker tables. Check out our dedicated poker page to find out more details about popular poker hands, poker terms and more.