10 Ways Texas Hold’em Beginners Bleed Money

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New players to the game of Texas Hold’em are prone to several very common mistakes.

Avoiding these traps and mistakes will improve your game vastly and, importantly, save you a ton of money.

PokerOlymp’s Jan Meinert walks us through the most common, costliest errors beginners make in Texas Hold’em and how they can stop making them.

10 Ways Hold’em Beginners Lose Money

1. Ignoring Position

Position is one of the most important aspects in every Hold’em game. The later your turn to act in the hand, the more information you have to base your decision on.

In late position you can react to your opponents’ actions rather than guess what they might be up to.

That’s why the “button” is the best position you can have. From late position you can play a lot more hands than from early position, where you have to be much tighter.

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2. Being Too Aggressive

While it’s certainly important to be aggressive when playing poker, it’s even more important to choose the right timing for it.

If it’s likely your opponent has a fairly strong hand, don’t try to get him out of the pot by betting big. In the long run, this will cost you a lot of money.

Be aware that in a game with eight or more players one of them usually has a strong hand. Trying to push them off of it is almost never a good idea – people usually don’t like to and will not fold when they have a decent hand.

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3. Giving Away Too Many Tells 

Many new players play and act according to the hand they’ve been dealt. More experienced players can read them like an open book.

Try not to give away too many tells (easier said than done, we know). Try not to react when you get dealt aces or hit a flush and don’t pout when you don’t hit the flop or get dealt 7-2.

It seems obvious but it’s always amazing to see how many beginners just can’t stop physically reacting to their fortune (or misfortune). Learning how to conceal your emotions is crucial when playing live poker so take some time to practice it.

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4. Sizing Bets Poorly

In No-Limit Hold’em many new players often get confused by how to size their bets properly and, as a result, bet way too much or way too little.

For example: It makes virtually no sense to bet $1 into a $25 pot.

If you have a decent hand, you don’t get much money in the pot and you will certainly not succeed with such a small bet if you were trying to bluff.

An easy rule of thumb is: Bet according to the size of the pot. A bet between half the size of the pot and the full amount is always a good size for a bet.

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5. Playing Too Many Hands 

Playing too many hands is one of the most common mistakes beginners tend to make. Successful players play between 10 and 30 per cent of their hands.

A beginner should try to aim for the lower number. Many hands might look decent (King-Ten for example), but usually they are money losers in the long run. Just throw those hands away before the flop. 

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6. Ignoring the Number of Players at the Table

A key factor to Hold’em games is that the value of your hand decreases with the number of players left to act.

If you only have two opponents, a hand like Ace-Eight is a very good hand.

But if there are eight players left to act your hand is virtually worthless as there’s a very reasonable chance someone has a better ace or big pair.

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7. Playing With Scared Money

Don’t ever play at limits that exceed your financial capabilities!

You will face a mental barrier when there is too much value attached to the chips in front of you. You will have a very hard time making good decisions and play “scared money” while your opponents are in their comfort zone and prey upon your weakness.

Rule of thumb: If one buy-in means a lot of money to you, you’re sitting at the wrong table.

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8. Calling Like There’s No Tomorrow

Beginners tend to think that poker is about “making your hand.” So they stay in the hand until the river to see whether they hit their hand or not.

That’s terrible and expensive thinking. Poker is not about hitting your hand. It’s about winning money.

If it’s too expensive to see the next card, just let it go! If you don’t think there’s a realistic chance for you to win the hand, either by bluffing or winning at showdown, just let it go!

Every chip not lost is as valuable as any chip won.

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9. Letting Emotions Dictate Play

Many poker players, not only beginners, have ego problems when playing poker. Their emotions – not their mind – dictate the way they play.

But poker punishes emotional play. You can’t force the cards to fall your way and you have to be able to withdraw when you’re clearly beaten.

Be patient and don’t make bad decisions based on emotion – too many players (even experienced ones) go broke this way.

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10. Over-valuing Suits

Beginners often over-value a hand when it’s suited. King-Five of spades might look like a playable hand because it can make a flush, but flushes are quite rare in Hold’em. 

With suited cards you will make a flush only roughly 8% of the time. It’s not advised to count on that.

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Taking Your Game to the Next Level

Professional poker evolves constantly, and many players now employ sophisticated methods like GTO (Game Theory Optimal) analysis to minimize exploitable leaks. Embracing modern concepts helps you adapt to tighter player pools and more nuanced betting strategies. These strategies don’t replace a solid fundamental approach but instead refine your decision-making and add consistency to your results.

Developing a deeper understanding of ranges, board textures, and opponent tendencies lets you move beyond rigid ABC poker. It also encourages creative lines to keep your opponents guessing. While beginners can keep it simple to avoid confusion, more advanced players benefit from mixing up bet sizes and frequencies based on systematic range analysis.

Advanced Post-Flop Scenarios

Navigating turns and rivers effectively requires you to analyze each street independently while keeping a coherent strategy across all streets. If the flop is coordinated, your decisions on the turn should address likely draws and potential set-mining hands. Reading your opponents’ tendencies is more than just labeling them as tight or loose; it involves detailed observations of their bet-sizing patterns, check-raising frequencies, and willingness to fold to aggression.

Recognizing spots where your continuation bets face serious resistance can save you from costly double-barrels. On the other hand, a well-timed turn or river bet can steal pots if you sense weakness. Advanced players should consider evolving board textures (like backdoor flush draws completing on the turn or straight draws filling in on the river) and figure out which range segments remain in an opponent’s calling range.

Integrating Mathematical Tools

Modern poker tools allow you to run simulations for post-flop situations using solvers that pinpoint GTO solutions. These solutions can be leveraged as a baseline strategy, and slight adjustments can be made based on opponents’ mistakes. Calculating expected value (EV) of different actions is a way to reduce guesswork. By comparing the EV of calling, folding, or raising in specific hands, you can solidify a consistent and mathematically informed approach.

Players who systematically practice solving complex spots often discover new angles for aggression or pot-control. While in-depth solver work might not be crucial at lower stakes, it provides a long-term advantage once you move into more competitive games.

FAQ

What are the most frequent mistakes new players make in Texas Hold’em?

New players often play too many hands, ignore position, and get overly attached to making a “big hand” rather than focusing on profitable spots. They also misjudge bet sizes and fail to account for how many players are involved in a pot.

Why is position so critical in Hold’em?

Acting last gives you more information about your opponents’ actions and allows you to react accordingly. Players in early position must be more selective with starting hands because they act first, losing the advantage of gathering post-flop information.

When should I choose a smaller bet versus a larger bet?

Bet sizing depends on your hand strength, board texture, and number of opponents. A smaller bet can control the size of the pot, especially if you suspect strong opposition or draws. A larger bet might be necessary to charge draws or to protect a vulnerable but strong hand.

What does it mean to analyze ranges at an advanced level?

Range analysis involves evaluating all possible hands an opponent could have in a situation rather than focusing on a single specific holding. Advanced players break down that range to decide whether a bluff, value bet, or fold is most profitable.

How can solver tools benefit my post-flop strategy?

Solvers use mathematical models to simulate optimal plays in given scenarios. By studying solver outputs, you can learn balanced betting lines, recognize when you should bluff, and identify profitable calls or folds. This helps refine your overall strategy.

Why is folding strong-looking hands sometimes the correct play?

Factors like position, stack sizes, and the number of opponents can turn hands such as Ace-Jack or King-Queen into losers over the long run if you constantly find yourself up against tighter ranges or big reraises from experienced players.

At what point should I consider using GTO concepts in my game?

GTO concepts become more relevant as you face tougher opponents who exploit predictable patterns. Once you are comfortable with fundamental strategy and consistently beating lower-stakes games, integrating GTO strategies helps sustain profits against stronger competition.

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