Top 5 Reasons Online Poker Players Lose in Poker Tournaments

2008-12-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

Being new to online poker tournaments isn’t a valid excuse to play badly and lose your money without putting up even a decent fight. While you may not be in the league of veteran poker players just yet, there are hundreds of other online poker players playing in the tournament and with skills equal or even inferior to yours!

You have a good chance of beating those players just as long as you avoid committing the following mistakes:

Don’t play too many hands

Every game counts in poker tournaments. You can’t afford to wait till the fifth street before choosing how you wish to play your cards. You must practice your eye in determining which hands make good starters or not.

Don’t play hands you can’t afford

Remember not all poker tournaments allow you to replenish your stack any time, if ever. As such, every chip in your stack is valuable and risking them on hands with a very low probability of winning is never a good decision. Playing aggressively is good, but there’s a distinct difference between being aggressive and foolhardy. Make sure you don’t cross that line!

Don’t let your emotions get to you

Players face more pressure to win in poker tournaments. Unlike in ordinary games, it’s not just your money at stake but your pride and reputation as well. It gets even more stressful if you’re playing in online poker tournaments where spectators are allowed and watching your every move.

If you don’t want to lose in poker tournaments, you need to find a way to detach yourself from external factors and simply focus your mind on the game. Don’t let your emotions force you to take risks you don’t usually take. Do this and you’re sure to survive longer.

Don’t copy other people’s moves blindly

There are many reasons why doing this can be fatal, especially so in online tournaments and where there aren’t any second chances. Firstly, what you thought was a winning habit of the other player could be a mere fluke, and you’ll end up adapting a useless habit.

Also, there are many factors that make a certain habit productive. As you and other players are naturally different people, you may lack the requisite factors to make the habit effective in winning a game. Lastly, keep in mind that learning’s different from blind copying. Borrowed moves can be incorporated in your game effectively if you understand why and how they work and how they can work with your game. Borrowed moves won’t work, however, if you simply make a superficial imitation of another person’s play.

Be mindful of your pre-flop game

Buying the pot has long been considered a reckless move common to first-time poker players and especially so in tournaments. Overbetting in the hopes of bluffing your way to a win and forcing other players out of the game through sheer boldness not just puts your stack in unnecessary risk but you could also antagonize other players to the point of forcing you into an unwanted showdown.

Practice playing it cool, and you’ll last longer in online poker tournaments!