Most poker enthusiasts take a certain level of pride in their abilities, often believing they excel in various endeavors they spend time mastering, particularly if they have enjoyed some success initially.
It's human nature to shy away from the idea of being inept at an activity we invest a lot of time in.
The stark truth is that if you are participating in small or medium stakes games, or if you are relatively new to poker, ample room for improvement exists in your gameplay. While this may come across as discouraging, it's an opportunity—if you're committed to enhancing your skills. Having multiple weaknesses in your game can provide a pathway for rapid improvement, turning you from a struggling to a proficient poker player in a short period.
In this piece, I will outline some key errors commonly made by small and medium stakes players, along with methods to exploit these weaknesses. Gaining awareness of your shortcomings allows for targeted improvements and, consequently, increased winnings at poker tables.
Table of Contents
- Common Errors at the Small Stakes
- Play Too Straightforwardly
- Play Too Trickily
- Play a Few Hands in a Specific Manner
- Raise for “Protection”
- Overestimating the Value of Mediocre Hands
- Common Errors in the Medium Stakes
- Mistakes Are More Subtle
- Fancy Play Syndrome
- Don’t Bluff Often Enough
- Play Mindlessly
- Summary
Common Errors at the Small Stakes
Almost all players in the small stakes segment possess glaring weaknesses in their overall strategies. If they were to play optimally, they would likely elevate their stakes and earn more money. Some casual players have expressed that they prefer to stay within their comfort zone of low stakes due to a dislike for risk and feel at ease with these games. While it’s perfectly acceptable to prefer a more relaxed play environment, personal growth in any field more often than not requires stepping out of your comfort zone.
True mastery of any skill requires one to embrace challenges rather than sticking to the safe and easy route.
That said, I recognize that a number of players engage in poker primarily for enjoyment rather than for profits. If you're participating in my Bankroll Builder Challenge aimed at converting $10 into $888, remember that your objective is to win—it's as straightforward as that. Bankroll For those aiming for victory, being truthful about your strategic shortcomings is essential.
Many small stakes players stumble because their hand strengths are easily readable by observant opponents. Their playing style is often too transparent.
Play Too Straightforwardly
When they hold a strong hand, they tend to place large bets (or a substantial raise follows). With a medium-strength hand, they make petite or moderate bets, and with weak hands, they typically check.
If you find yourself up against a player employing this method, your best approach is to assume their actions are genuine. For instance, if you have a solid but non-premium hand like K-J on a K-9-7 flop, and your straightforward opponent—who often makes large raises with premium hands—opts for a sizable raise, it’s prudent to fold. In situations like this, A-K might also be a fold unless your opponent tends to overvalue hands like K-Q, K-J, or K-T. slow play On the other hand, if you happen to hold 5h-4h in a pot against this straightforward raiser, and they check after the flop, you should consider bluffing at least once on both the flop and turn.
It really is as simple as that.
The game of poker becomes significantly simpler when your adversary clearly indicates the strength of their hand.
Conversely, some small stakes players adopt a convoluted style of play. For instance, they may raise all their playable hands preflop except for A-A and K-K, which they prefer to limp with. They might also continuation bet on the flop every single time, with the exception of holding premium hands.
Recognizing a player with such tendencies is crucial, as any atypical action could signal that their hand is either exceptionally strong or particularly weak. However, it typically leans towards showcasing a strong hand.
Play Too Trickily
If your opponent is indeed holding a premium hand, you should only remain in the hand with your top hands and draws that have reasonable potential to outdraw their strong holdings.
Among the more notable misplays are those who raise all playable hands in a uniform manner or with a single exception. A classic illustration is a player who raises to 3 big blinds with all but J-J, which they opt to raise to 5 big blinds.
It's evident that revealing a specific hand through your betting pattern gives your opponents an advantage, making it easy for them to counter your strategies. Naturally, you want to create uncertainty for your opponents while adhering to fundamental play principles.
Play a Few Hands in a Specific Manner
Such leaks can take various forms, like limping only with A-A from an early position, raising to $0.88 with pocket Eights, or making exaggerated bets on the flop exclusively with draws.
Stay acute and observant regarding your opponents' behaviors; doing so might help you identify these glaring habits and adjust your strategy effectively.
One of the costliest mistakes observed in small stakes players, particularly as they begin to advance in stakes, is raising their moderately strong made hands on the flop and turn under the pretense of 'protection.' Their goal is to make sizable raises so that their competitors couldn't possibly draw without paying a steep price.
However, in practice, such large raises often lead their opponents to fold weaker hands and uninformed draws—a move that diminishes their chances of extracting maximum value. Whenever your opponents are interpreting their strategy as if they can read your cards, it means they're performing well, and it’s detrimental to your profitability.
Raise for “ Protection ”
To exploit this bad tendency, the best course of action is to fold in the face of pronounced raises unless you're certain about your opponent's weak raising range or if you possess a drawing hand that merits calling due to pot odds and implied odds.
As a rule of thumb, if a fairly straightforward player initiates an enormous raise, it is generally wise to retreat.
Likewise, many small stakes players struggle to fold reasonably strong made hands, particularly when met with significant aggression. For example, they might raise with A-K, and after four players call, the flop reveals K-Q-7. If they make a bet, only to encounter a raise, they often either call or go all-in, often with disbelief when they find their opponent holding the superior hand, such as K-Q or 7-7. They fail to grasp that when substantial amounts are added to the pot, their top pair is often outclassed unless the opponent frequently overvalues mediocre hands.
When holding a solid but non-nut hand, like top pair with a strong kicker, should you be facing a raise, the best strategy is usually to call. If you decide to re-raise, you significantly reduce the chances for your opponent to bluff. A re-raise causes opponents to mostly stick around with the upper end of their range, giving you either a disadvantage or providing them the opportunity to continue drawing at a favorable price.
Overestimating the Value of Mediocre Hands
Instead, if you opt merely to call your opponent's raise, you keep them engaged with a wide range of hands, which you are likely to fare well against. This applies unless you’re facing a situation where the raising range is strictly stronger hands, in which case, folding would be advisable.
When you possess a made hand that isn't the top in its category, keeping opponents in with bluffs and lesser made hands presented is the most favorable tactic—especially considering the alternative could be them folding everything aside from their top-ranking hands that outperform yours.
As players transition to medium stakes, the leaks they exhibit tend to be less stark. This tends to occur because one must maintain at least a reasonable level of play to stay afloat at these higher stakes. Thus, while edges still exist, they may not be as significant vis-a-vis the smaller games.
Mistakes made by medium stakes players tend to be more nuanced. For instance, a player who should ideally continuation bet 70% might instead do so 100% of the time, while an overly aggressive medium stakes player might do so around 85% of the time.
Common Errors in the Medium Stakes
While the mistake from a medium stakes player might carry less weight than that of their small stakes counterpart, it remains an error you have the opportunity to exploit.
Mistakes Are More Subtle
It's essential for you to take an active role in observing and identifying your opponent's specific mistakes and strategizing on how to counter them.
Arguably the primary issue afflicting reasonably skilled poker players is what's known as the fancy play syndrome. This is the tendency for players to feel compelled to engage in overly complex plays regularly, often as a means to satisfy their own egos.
They mistakenly believe that they achieve success due to their own outstanding gameplay rather than acknowledging the poor decisions often made by their opponents. Such intricate plays frequently stray from fundamental soundness and can lead to substantial financial losses over time.
Fancy Play Syndrome
Rather than deviating from your core strategy unnecessarily, it's critical to focus on building a solid foundational approach. While exploiting your opponents' weaknesses is beneficial, you should not feel obligated to execute elaborate bluffs regularly to prove your skill.
By doing so, all you're truly demonstrating is a lack of self-awareness.
Although my previous point might give the impression that I advocate against bluffing, it’s actually a crucial poker skill that requires mastery for success. Instead of bluffing haphazardly, it should be done with intention and strategy.
In general, preflop bluffs should be executed using hands with a decent chance of improving to premium hands on the flop, such as suited Aces or lower suited connectors. Alternatively, you may choose hands that are less likely to allow opponents to hit strong hands, especially if your hand contains an Ace—this diminishes the chances of your opponents also holding an Ace from the remaining cards.
Don’t Bluff Often Enough
On the flop and turn, aim to semi-bluff with draws that possess a reasonable chance to improve, such as Js-8s or 9c-8c on a 7c-5s-3s board. Take note that these hands are generally positioned unfavorably for a showdown, but they present a good opportunity for improvement to either a decent or premium hand as the game progresses.
Renowned poker expert Jonathan Little discusses the frequent errors made by players in low to medium stakes games and offers insights on how to capitalize on these mistakes.
Leveraging Player Mistakes to Grow Your Online Poker Bankroll
Bankroll Development Challenge – Frequent Errors in Low Stakes Games
Almost every poker enthusiast believes they possess strong skills at the game. In fact, many people feel proficient in various activities, especially if they've experienced even minor successes.
Nobody enjoys acknowledging that they struggle with something they invest substantial time into.
The stark truth is that if you're gaming at small or medium stakes, or if you're a beginner in poker, there's a high likelihood that your strategy has notable weaknesses. Although this may appear disheartening, it can be an opportunity if you're dedicated to enhancing your capabilities. If your gameplay has several gaps, you could potentially transition from a mediocre player to a competent one in a short timeframe.
In this piece, I will outline some of the common pitfalls that players at small and medium stakes encounter consistently, alongside strategies to take advantage of them. Understanding your mistakes enables you to refine your approach, ultimately increasing your winnings at the poker table.
Overestimating the Value of Fair, Non-Premium Hands
Play Mindlessly
Nearly all small stakes players exhibit critical flaws in their strategies. If they played at a high level, they would advance to higher stakes where the winnings are greater. I’ve had conversations with several casual small stakes players who express reluctance in moving up, citing risk aversion and their comfort with lower limits. While comfort is nice, real progress in any field requires us to challenge ourselves and push beyond our perceived limits.
Achievement seldom comes from merely doing what feels safe and easy.
That said, I do recognize that many participants prioritize enjoyment over monetary gain. If you happen to be part of my Builder Challenge aimed at transforming a $10 bankroll into $888, keep in mind that your objective here is to win. It's really that straightforward.
Summary
Aiming for success requires a level of honesty with yourself regarding the imperfections in your gameplay.
A significant number of small stakes players fall short of success because the strength of their hands is extremely transparent to anyone observing. Their gameplay tends to be overly predictable.
When they hold a strong hand, they typically place a sizeable bet. Conversely, with a mediocre hand, they opt for smaller bets, and they usually just check when they have a weak one.
When you face a player using this type of strategy, your optimal response is to assume they are being straightforward. For example, if you hold K-J on a K-9-7 board against a player who is known for making substantial raises solely with strong hands, and they increase the bet significantly, it's often correct to fold. Even A-K could be a fold here, unless you suspect they might overrate hands like K-Q, K-J, or K-T.
Good luck!