Common Misconceptions in Poker
Poker myths and common misconceptions plague the poker gaming community. Some of these false conceptions of poker and poker strategy come from disgruntled losers who don’t want to accept responsibility for their own mistakes. Others come from otherwise good poker players who have just decided to accept these falsehoods as fact.
This article shines a spotlight on the biggest poker myths and common misconceptions about the game, and it explains why each will cost you money. If you want to be a winning poker player, it’s important to be able to separate fact from fiction.
- The Best Player Will Win
Good poker strategy will make you more successful than players who don’t have a plan, but even the best poker players occasionally lose to a bad beat. If you’ve done everything right and still lose a game, don’t be discouraged. It happens to the best, otherwise guys like Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth would win the World Series of Poker Main Event every year.
- Deposit Bonuses = Free Money
You won’t find an online poker room that doesn’t advertise their sign-up bonuses for new players. Most of these sites include a 100% matching bonus up to the first several hundred dollars a member deposits. What these sites don’t mention on the homepage are the strings attached to these offers.
To be able to withdraw any of the bonus money, you have to play a required number of hands. If you join a poker room just to make easy money with the sign-up bonus, you’re barking up the wrong tree. - There Is No Way to Consistently Win at Poker
This poker myth was started by players who failed to exercise proper strategies and think Texas Holdem is all luck. Don’t buy what they’re selling. By using proper strategy, anyone can win consistently at poker. Of course, learning to play perfectly is harder than it sounds, which explains why there aren’t even more professional poker players in the world.
- Everybody Goes Bust
According to some players, it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually lose your entire bankroll playing poker. In the movies, this leads to an inevitable comeback and a one-on-one showdown with the villain. In real life, it may just lead to financial hardship or the end of your poker career. But it doesn’t have to be that way, as proper bankroll management will keep you from going bust. You’re not a character in a movie, so don’t act like it.
- Poker Math Is Too Complicated to Understand
Some folks never try to learn poker because they think there’s too much math involved. This is another common misconception about poker, since the only math you really need to know is the calculation of pot odds. Everything else in the game requires a little memorization and common sense. Don’t let the fear of math keep you from enjoying the game of kings.
- Pocket Aces Always Lose
If you’re consistently losing with pocket aces, it’s probably because too many players are in the pot. It’s almost certainly not because the online host is cheating. By learning the basics of the game, you’ll know when pocket aces are strong and when they’re weak.
- Aggressive Players Always Win
Here’s another poker myth that’s been supported by the film industry. In reality, any playing style can be beat. Most poker professionals methodically look for an advantage across a series of lots of hands. Aggressive play is a crowd-pleaser, but it isn’t a winner in every situation.
- Online Poker Is Easier than Casino Poker
Here’s one myth for which the opposite is actually true. In a land-based casino, anyone can walk in and sit down at a table, no matter their skill or interest in poker. Playing at an online poker site requires much more effort: opening an account, funding the account, downloading the client, etc. Remember, too, that highly skilled poker players can play multiple tables online, giving them the chance to beat tables full of weak players at the same time. In land-based casinos, sharks are limited to one table at a time.
- Bluffing Is a Necessity
While professional poker players will bluff on occasion, it doesn’t happen as often as you might think. Of course, this misconception exists thanks to movies where characters outwit an opponent at the poker table with nothing in their hand. In reality, the bluffing player who stays in on a large pot is likely to walk away empty-handed. Bluffing can be a useful strategy at times, but its importance (and frequency) is exaggerated.
- Poker on TV Is Just Like Real Life
The poker you see on TV is heavily edited to conform to a predetermined run time, so there’s lots of poker action left out. Most of these hands tend to be boring by television standards, but these “dull” hands are far more common than the showy ones where players go all-in. If you want to get a feel for what real poker is like, you need to visit a cardroom and see for yourself.
As long as there are losers, there will always be poker myths and common misconceptions. This is a simple reality of the game, as it stretches back to the earliest days of gambling. If, however, you can identify the false notions surrounding poker, you’ll be able to play with clarity and make smart decisions based on rock-solid logic as opposed to superstition. Couple that with perfect play, and you’ll find your bankroll increasing exponentially.
