Some Myths Regarding Common Poker Advice

Poker wisdom comes in all fashions, but not all advice given proves to be sound advice. Hold’em games are always situational and advice can become invalid based on the situation. Let’s take a look at a couple of common pieces of advice players will hear and why they are more myth than sound advice.

Not all poker wisdom is created equal

Myth #1 – Beginning Hold’em Players Should Play in Small Buy-in Events and then Take Shots at Larger Buy-ins.

Most beginning poker players will start out playing in small buy-in tournaments in the hopes of building a bankroll. While this may seem like a novel pursuit, the reality is that unless you are regularly taking these events down or you are playing with large field, these events aren’t worth playing.

Many times, these events will charge a high amount of juice, sometimes upwards of 30%. For example, this summer I played in an event at Binions in Las Vegas. The field was only 17 players, and the total prize pool was around $1,100. I came runner up and only took home about $350. While that was 3 1/2 times my buy-in, I only profited $250. On average, you will cash 2 or 3 times out of every 10 events you play. 10 events would cost me $1,000. Let’s assume that I take down one for around $670 and finish 2nd again for about $350. My total winnings are $1,020. That is a total of $20 profit. That won’t even cover gas. You would be better off trying to play in a larger buy-in event and shoot for larger prize pools.

Myth #2 – In Limit Hold’em, You Want Games that Provide the Biggest Pot

This sounds logical, but a game that constantly provides big pots is also a very swingy game. Let’s take a $3-$6 game with a kill. When there is a kill pot, you are playing $6 – $12 stakes. Also, if the game is very loose, you will see massive swings in your stack and you will be outdrawn much more often. Passive games may not provide as large a pot, but they do allow you the chance to push people around more and for you to get paid off for our big hands.

Remember that there are very few absolutes in poker. One tactic that may work for you will prove disastrous to another player. When you are given advice, evaluate the advice based on the context it is given and based on how you play and even where you play. This will help you decipher which advice is solid, and which advice will leave you broke.

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