Three key differences between good and bad poker players Part 1

In the few years since I switched from playing poker as a source of income to writing about poker as a source of income I have probably penned at least a dozen articles on this theme, and the remarkable thing is that each time I do, the advice changes! Whether this is because poker is so complex that there are 100’s of things you should and shouldn’t do -which is true-or if it’s because poker changes so fast that what was right or important is not tomorrow -which is also true!

So here is Part 1 of my latest contribution on the topic of what makes a good poker player.

• Good players maximize value while bad players pay-off and miss bets

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in poker is to pay-off other players when you are beat and conversely to miss bets when you have the best hand -often referred to as maximizing your wins and minimizing your losses.

What Good Players Do…

When they have the best of it, good players have an uncanny knack for sizing their bets to get maximum value from an opponent -a bit higher for a calling station, and a smaller amount for a nit-as well as the capability of recognizing the times they have the best hand in marginal situations.

Additionally, good players are also capable of recognizing when they are beat in certain situations, and avoid making “hero” calls, like so many players who want to make sure they are playing the role of the table sheriff.

What Bad Players Do…

On the other hand, bad players have a propensity to “check-it-down” with hands that are clearly ahead of their opponents out of fear of their opponent check-raising with a monster, as well as either betting too much or too little and thereby missing value with their winning hands. While a good player is busy calibrating their bet-size to the player, a bad player often chooses the size of their bets based on the strength of their hand -after all, you gotta get paid off with quads!

If bad players are known to miss a lot of bets, an even bigger problem is their tendency to pay off virtually any bet, no matter how obvious it is that they are behind! Ace-high calls, calling down with two-pair on a four-suited board, and sometimes even more egregious examples are commonplace for bad players.