The Least Mistaken
Tournament Poker
by James A. McKenna, Ph.D

Success is seldom an accident. The key to success in poker is to make the least mistakes and/or succeed in getting other players to make more mistakes.

It’s a mistake to NOT know what’s important and what’s not. This knowledge results in playing about 10-15% of ordinary hands dealt. Of course, there are exceptions when a player is getting a rush of good hands. Related to this is the skill of knowing when to be loose and when to play tight. Successful players know. If you don’t, you will when you finish reading this.

People who invest gaming stakes wisely will pay attention to trends. Betting hands that have poor odds of improving or that have only one way to improve (no “outs”) is a common mistake. For example, it usually is a mistake to play small suited cards in an early position. There are too many chances to be raised. And, if a flush comes, someone with higher cards of the same suite is likely to win in a showdown. Mistakes occur by check/raising a good hand when not being certain another player will bet. Successful players also know that it can be a big mistake to bet when two or three players have checked. The mistake comes from betting into a player with the “nuts” who’s checking to invite someone to bet.

Some players will blindly bet when there are one or two probable hands that can beat them. For example, in Hold’em, the flop shows possible straights and flushes. The river gives a player three of a kind and someone bets. It would be a mistake for the trips to raise. Chances are good that the trips will be beat by a full house, a flush, or a straight. It may be a mistake to bluff in late position when everyone has already bet. However, semi-bluffs are more likely from experienced players. In Texas Hold’em, a late position player who flops four to a flush or a straight might bet or raise. Such a common semi-bluff will likely get a free card and if the turn card makes the hand, a bigger pot will be the reward.

It’s a mistake to fold a winning hand. It also can be a mistake to NOT fold a good hand. Successful players know the difference. Quitting can be the better part of valor or it can be a loser’s swan song. To fold every time someone raises is a mistake if it is teaching opponents that you will easily fold when raised. Also, to refuse to fold when a player knows that he or she is beat is stubbornness, not poker. It’s a mistake to reveal hands by various “tells.” Betting a good hand can be that tell. If such a player knows that he or she has the others beat, that player is likely to check and let the second best hand do the betting.

It’s a mistake NOT to use the odds of chance to determine how much risk to take. Managing medium pairs before the flop in Texas Hold’em is an example. In late position, a pair of nines might raise. In early position, that same pair of nines might “limp in” to see the flop and fold if one or two people raise the bet before the flop.

While it’s a mistake to play too many hands, to get “married” to a hand and refuse to fold, successful poker players know that it’s wrong to never try to steal a hand and to always play the same way. And, oh yes, winners play tight around loose players, and loose around tight players. Playing stubbornly is a mistake that good players won’t make. They know when to quit and play another day. Finally, whining is a big mistake. It annoys some players and invites others to take advantage of a player’s bad streaks.

James A. McKenna, PhD., has been a practicing individual and group therapist for over thirty-five years. His knowledge of human behavior combined with over thirty years of gaming experience gives him a unique perspective on the psychology of the gamer. His book, “Beyond Tells-Power Poker Psychology,” will be published soon by Gambling Times. He can be contacted at: jim@JimMckenna-phd.com.

This story is published in the Jun 16th 2003 edition of Poker Player.

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