Learn Texas Holdem

One of the first things poker players learn is to try not to play too many hands. Playing too many hands is one of the most common mistakes new players make. If someone is playing consistently weaker hands than other players, they are putting themselves at a decided disadvantage.

Playing Too Many Hands in Limit Poker

In limit poker, the disadvantage to playing too many hands is obvious. When bets are fixed, continuously putting in bets to try to hit a hand will quickly deplete one's stack. Even when a player finally hits an unusual hand, the amount the player can win is fixed by the betting, so the amount of chips won is rarely enough to make up for the amount the player gave up trying to chase a winning hand.

Playing Too Many Hands in No Limit Hold'em Poker

In no limit Texas hold'em, the situation may appear a bit different. In a cash no limit Texas hold'em game, the blinds are often a relatively small percentage of the amount you can win, since what you can win is really only limited by the amount of money in your stack. However, in no limit hold'em, the problem is not the amount lost chasing hands pre-flop (unless you are the type of player who limps in but then feels committed to call any pre-flop raise, which can become a big problem), but the problem of compounding. In poker, errors tend to be compounded on each subsequent street, because the size of the pot and the amount of chips committed to the pot tend to lead players to go further and further in the hand. This is how playing too many hands can lead to ruin in no limit.

Example of How Playing Too Many Hands in No Limit Can Get You Into Trouble

Let's say you are dealt 7s 5s in middle position in a $3/$6 blind no limit game. You like the suited one gapper and you make the call hoping to flop a tricky hand. The flop comes As 7c 4h. An early position player bets $30. You are sure that the early position player would have raised pre-flop with an ace so you call. The turn is the 6s and the early position player bets another $50. Now you have an open-ended straight draw and flush draw to go with your pair so you feel you have to call. The river is a 2c. The opponent thinks and then bets $100. You don't like it much with middle pair but the pot is so big you feel committed. He shows down A5 and you lose a large pot that you should never have been involved in to begin with.

Professionals who play many hands know how to avoid situations such as this and maximize their profits when the flop favors them. Less experienced players should play a wide range of hands sparingly and look to fold early if they don't hit the flop very strongly.