Even experienced poker players have leaks in their game that hold back their win rates. In poker, leaks are habitual mistakes that cause you to lose EV i.e. expected value. If you plug in a few key leaks, your poker profits will skyrocket.
Playing too many hands
The number one mistake made by new poker players is playing way too many weak hands pre-flop and post-flop. They get involved in too many pots and get into difficult situations with marginal holdings. It leads to making costly errors post-flop. You need to tighten your pre-flop hand selection significantly, especially out of position. If your VPIP (voluntarily put in pot) stat exceeds 25% overall or 15% from early position, you are playing too many hands. Wait for premium hands and solid situations before getting involved. Similarly, post-flop, be very selective with continuations based on board textures and opponent actions. Don’t chase draws or play fit-or-fold without a clear plan. Make disciplined folds with weak and medium holdings. It prevents bleeding chips when you hit the flop or turn. Tight, selective play is highly profitable in most bandarqq games. You don’t need to get to Showdown to win pots. Carefully choosing your spots leads to easier decisions post-flop and maximizes your EV.
Chasing draws
A leak is calling bets on the flop or turn just to ‘see what happens’ when holding a draw i.e. a hand with a chance to improve. You are hoping to get lucky without having proper odds to call relative to the pot size. Do the math on your draw odds and ensure you have the implied odds or pot equity to justify chasing the draw. If the odds don’t warrant a call, be willing to fold the draw rather than taking a low percentage chase every time. You will bleed money chasing every draw without proper odds. Also, avoid calling multiple bets across streets with weak draws. Pay attention to your opponent’s actions and the developing board texture to determine if your particular draw has the right equity and implied odds in that specific scenario. Make informed decisions, not automatic draw chasing calls.
Overvaluing hands
Many players get married to a hand and overplay it beyond reason, often slow-playing monsters or bluff-catching too light. For example, they flat call 3 streets with bottom set only to face a river raise and realize they lost. Avoid results-oriented thinking and overvaluing your particular hand in that instance. Every time you get action, review the odds that you beat. Don’t dismiss scenarios where you are behind just because of your specific holding. Take the opponents’ perspective – would they bet triple barrels without a real hand? What possible holdings beat you here? Consider these questions every street to make sound decisions, not just play your hand in a vacuum. Pay close attention to board runouts that impact hand equities. Keep reassessing the odds of your particular hand losing in that spot. Be careful not to overvalue your holding.