Saturday 5 September 2009

What is Poker 'Leaks'?

By Corie Aquino

All individuals make mistakes; we always make a certain mistake in our lives that we are going to regret in the end. The good thing about committing mistakes is that you learn from the experience and try not to commit the same mistake again.

But some people are hard headed not to learn from their mistakes: they still commit the same mistakes over and over again, no matter what kind of promises they make not to do the same errors again.

That kind of people is rampant at the poker table. Their mistakes often go unnoticed in the public eye. They called these mistakes as leaks because they are small ones but they have tremendous after effects if not corrected. But if you are committing big errors instead of small ones then it's not leak anymore but a hole. And if you have tremendous holes in your game then it's time for you to learn the basics again, because this article will focus on leaks not holes.

Leaks in poker are categorized in three fields: *Frequent small mistakes *Infrequent small mistakes *Non-Strategic mistakes

Frequent mistakes occur when the decision will come up quite often. A frequent small mistake in poker could comprise any actions including playing a lot of suited hands pre-flop or betting continuously even if the bet can't help in making the other players fold.

If a small mistake is committed infrequently then it is harder to see. It would be more like playing one or two particular hands instead of playing many suited hands or missing value bets on the river instead of betting on cards with no chance of winning.

Leaks that are non-strategic include parts of the game that happens before the cards are dealt. This may comprise of being drunk or tired before the game started. Quickly seating on a seat that is available without checking if that's a strategic place or not is also a mistake; and not checking out about your playmates is also a costly error.

Errors that are non-strategic are easy to cure. You just need to know your limits and must be aware if you are ready to play or not. If you are not ready emotionally and physically then don't play. If you can't wait and stop in order to look for a suitable seating arrangement or select a good table then don't play.

The best thing you can do is to tell yourself that you are going to spend enough time to check out the best tables and seats in the game. Then spend some time to get to know your opponents. Don't play if you're hung over and had a lot to drink. Always be ready physically and mentally before you started playing.

Strategic mistakes are difficult to know and difficult to cure: more than ever if they rarely occur. However, a very good observer can see any errors in the game if they know how to evaluate their own game play.

For mistakes that are committed infrequently - it takes other player to show someone their mistakes to be aware of it. That can be help by doing some friendly play with your buddies in poker or participating in poker discussions. So if someone notices that there are leaks in your game don't be offended instantly, evaluate yourself and make your game better than before.

Errors are not a luxury you should always make. But if you know how to cope out from those mistakes then you can save a lot in the process. In order for you to erase the leaks in your game, you need to know that they exist first. However, some people are stubborn enough not to acknowledge their own mistakes until it's too late.

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