Step Aside From The Cards For A Second And You’ll Find Many Key Poker Skills That Can Make The Difference Between Profit And Losses – We Look At 5 Key Errors In Player’s Poker Meta-Game!
Winning at poker in the long run requires more than just the ability to play your hand and poker strategy knowledge, there are a number of important skills and abilities – collectively known as ‘meta-game skills’ – which can make a big difference to your profits. This article looks at 5 key areas of your poker meta-game and shows how players can often make expensive mistakes in each of them.
Poker Meta-Game Mistakes #1 – Over-Confidence!
Confidence in your own ability is the characteristic of winning players, however many people fall foul of a major error – thinking that an initial good run, big tournament win of huge ROI is sustainable over time. Blowing that $10,000 MTT prize at the high-level cash game tables is surprisingly easy. Make sure you are aware of the positive side of variance and what sustainable returns for your poker game look like before deciding that you are the next Stu Ungar!
Poker Meta-Game Mistakes #2 – Tilting
Tilt describes playing when emotionally unstable, angry being the most common example. Very few players are completely immune to Tilt, yet even fewer make a simple contingency plan for what to do if this occurs. Simply walking away for a quick break can potentially save players a lot of cash, see our article on The Many Faces Of Poker Tilt for a more in-depth look at this complex subject.
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Poker Meta-Game Mistakes #3 – Game Selection
Dollar for dollar this is one of the biggest poker meta-game errors of all – simply because so many players ignore it. Sitting down in the first game with a spare seat ignores an important factor – that spending just a few minutes looking for the fishiest tables, making sure the style of the players at each table suits your own style, and even keeping a list of known weak opponents can significantly boost your profits. Some sites are fishier than others too – find out more with out fun but serious interactive Fish-o-Meter widget.
Poker Meta-Game Mistakes #4 – Bankroll Management
Yes, Bankroll Management applies to you! Most players see managing their poker bankroll as dull and unnecessary. We beg to differ to a large extent, if you do not manage your bankroll effectively you are losing out on a great method of knowing when it is ‘safe’ to move up levels – as well as protecting yourself from the variance that even the best players in the world will suffer from at some point.
Poker Meta-Game Mistakes #5 – Focus And Concentration
Many players will not admit (even to themselves) that their game is not as sharp at the end of a 3 hour session as it was at the start. We are not just talking about TV, IM and the net while playing, though these are important. Making sure that your playing sessions include enough breaks to keep your mind fresh is also important to your long-term profits. In no-limit and pot-limit games, where one mistake can cost you a lot of chips, this is even more important.