Mistake 7 - Too infrequently responding to raises when you are in BTN position
Most players tend to call too infrequently from the BTN position. Because of the value that comes from being the last to act post-flop, you can play wide from the BTN when the price is right. This is especially important in live poker, as SB and BB players rarely play aggressively.
Mistake 8 - We keep responding to raises from SB position
Playing too passively from the SB is a mistake that is very easy to make. It often seems that only call - a good solution, because we have good pot oddsbut it should not be made a habit for the following reasons:
- You oblige yourself to play out of position against an opponent with better range;
- A BB noticing such a trend can be 3betted, as your rank is almost always only moderately strong.
SB should 3bet the entire range with which we expect to get value, with the aim of swelling the pot or isolating the player who raised. Only by responding do we betray that we have a weak or medium hand. This is a fundamental reason why we should avoid just calling from the SB and instead opt for 3bet.
When you try to build your 3-colour range from SB, include some monochrome connectors. This aggressive strategy has several advantages:
- With 3bet, you put a lot of pressure on players who open, especially when they do so from late positions, i.e. wide, with hands they cannot defend against 3bet.
- If you have a good 3bet range, your opponents are less likely to try to steal your blinds.
- When you 3bet, the BB can't see the flop cheaply, if you don't, the BB realises its own very cheaply equity.
Mistake 9 - Overvaluing the different suits of the Royal (Broadway) cards
Tony-G once said it very well after only kicking a player out of a tournament: "If you read my poker strategy, I'll tell everyone, never overplay K-J". Of course, he also said some less appropriate things.
Although this is a somewhat drastic and excessive simplification, Tony's idea is a good one. Players often overestimate ofsuit Broadway. This is especially dangerous when you are in middle position (MP), as players who bet against you are playing narrower and may have better Broadway than you. If you play too much with these cards, you will very often see the dealer push your chips to your opponent, as you are faced with situations where your top pair loses to your opponent's top pair with a better card next to it. For this reason, it is better to play with 98s in these situations, as these hands are rarely dominant and can catch very strong hands that will bring you big pots.
Mistake 10 - Answering very large 3bet
This error is more common in live games, where larger openings provoke large 3bet sizes, sometimes as high as 18-20BB (10-12BB online). Often we respond to such big 3bet because we have ego problems, players at the table don't want to appear weak.
Against huge 3bets, you have terrible pot odds Answer. Let's take a look at pot odds counting against a 10bb 3bet when we open 3bb:
We have to answer 7bb to win our raise (3bb) + opponent's 3bet (10bb) + dead blinds (1.5bb), we need 32.6 % equity.
Another example is when 3bet 18bb:
We have to answer 15bb to win our raise (3bb) + opponent's 3bet (18bb) + dead blinds (1.5bb), we need 40%.
That's a difference of almost 8%. Add the fact that most live poker players only 3bet with their strongest hands, and it's clear why responding to such 3bets is very problematic.
The best strategy against extremely high 3bets is to fold everything except very strong hands, the best hands are 4bet.
Also, if you notice that your opponent tends to call very large 3bet, you should raise your own 3bet.
Mistake 11 - not having a plan
All of the above mistakes culminate when you don't have a good plan of what you're going to do next, or when you don't have a clear idea of what you're doing pre-flop in general. The first step towards good poker is to figure out your pre-flop strategy and think ahead. Before you start your next poker session, answer the following questions:
- Which hands and positions will you open with if all players before you have folded?
- Which hands will you limp with and which hands will you raise with?
- With what range will you continue the game if the player before you raises?
- When you open, how will you respond to 3bet from each position?
Most players don't have answers to these questions. So if you think about your weaknesses in your pre-flop strategy and have a plan, you will be a head above your opponents.
Mistake 12 - Constantly changing strategy
Constantly changing strategy is worse than having no plan at all. I often see players doing this and they usually get punished for their stupid decisions pre-flop.
Adaptation is important. We try to keep a balance and exploit our opponents' weaknesses in line with trends. But every change in our game must have a purpose. We never choose to just respond with AA just because we sometimes need to change strategy. Of course, you will often mislead your opponent just by answering with AA, but that does not mean good play.
Maths is more important. Even when you can outsmart your opponent, you won't get as much value as you would by 3betting. In the long run, you will earn a lot from 3betting with AA, and it's almost impossible to make up for that by confusing your opponent by just calling. If we have decided to change our strategy, it should be because of some choices we have been given. We shouldn't change something just to make a non-standard move.
12 pre-flop mistakes in brief
Again, it is very important to make sure that your pre-flop play is error-free, and if you have a solid strategy for playing the start of the hand, you will have a much better chance of playing post-flop. Here are 12 mistakes and brief tips on how to deal with them:
- Limping - Avoid limp first, rather raise your bets.
- Lack of understanding of positions - always consider how the position affects your opponent range.
- Playing too passively before betting raises - Make a well-thought-out 3betting plan Be careful not to respond to raises too often.
- Too narrow from BB position - take advantage of the fact that you have very good pot odds and look at the flop - you might catch something.
- Bets placed with too wide (or too narrow) a range in BTN position - open 40% - 70%, based on how the blacks play.
- Too narrow a game from the SB when players are down to you - open enough hands to turn over dead money.
- Raises too rarely responded to in BTN position - take advantage of the position, respond with a wide but good post-flope
- Regularly responding to raises from the SB position - Punish those who open, don't let BB see the flop cheaply, protect against 3betting from BB.
- Different suited royal (Broadway) cards are overvalued - take hands such as KJo or QJo with a pinch of salt. Before continuing, consider how often your hand will be dominated.
- Answers to very large 3bets - discard all but the very strongest hands, 4bet the strongest hands.
- Not having a plan - Think about your pre-flop strategy before the session.
- Constantly changing strategy - For each action, think about its purpose.
Translated from: https://www.upswingpoker.com/7-poker-mistakes-to-avoid-at-all-cost/
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