Top 10 Texas Hold’em Poker Myths

1 - Yeah I like poker, I watch it on TV!

Most TV shows about poker consist of tournaments such as the World Series of Poker, theWorld Poker Tour or the European Poker Tour. These tournament’s usually last for days, with only a very small percentage of hands actually receiving TV time. Basically this means that, not only are you not seeing the whole form and context of the game but can prove misleading since it would appear to be an action packed game where players play any two hands and are continuously all-in.

In reality, in most tournament pots, the players do not even see the flop, due to pre-flop raises. And another thing to keep in mind is that tournament play is VERY different to cash game play.

Simulating your favourite players on TV, could cost you in a cash game as many of the play’s used in tournament poker are considered very wrong in cash games.

Lately there have been more and more cash game programs such as High Stakes Poker orPoker After Dark. Once again, the full spectrum of hands played is not presented on TV and thus you are missing out on the bigger picture. Another problem that arises from these shows is that some of the best poker players in the world are included.

Trying to play a hand as they do in the wrong situation could be very costly. If you do not have a deep understanding for the game, and do not quite comprehend why a specific player acted in the according way, then better stick to the basics!

2 – Small risks – Big Gains!

A big misconception about poker is that you can make a lot of money by only investing a limited amount of money. For example, a player in a casino could probably only make a limited amount of money on blackjack, roulette or craps, but it is in his belief that if he gets lucky there is basically an unlimited amount of profit to be made in poker.

In theory, this is possible. You could sit down on a $1/$1 cash game, double up and move to higher stakes, repeating this step continuously. But trust me when I say, it does not work in practice.

Even if you are playing the most perfect poker in the world, you will eventually hit a wall, either by pure bad luck or bad playing.

Open any poker guide, and one of the most important elements it will stress is have good bankroll management. That is, always have at least 50 buy-ins for playing any stakes. In actual figures, that means that before sitting down and playing on a $1/$1 cash games, be prepared to have at least $5,000 as your starting bankroll!

3 – All players bluff

What an irony this one is. How many times have I seen people call bets just because they thought their opponent was bluffing, whilst in fact the chance that that player is bluffing is around 1%.

I would honestly say that at least at small stakes, about 50% of the players will never bluff, or will bluff extremely rarely. And yes believe it; many of these players are profitable in the long run. A good poker player does not require bluffing, in order to make a profit, so next time you’re on the felt and there’s a guy there who hasn’t played a hand in 2 hours, trust me, when he raises, you fold!

4 – Only the pro’s win the tournaments

This is a myth that has been totally busted in recent years. Year after year now, we see more and more amateur players making final tables in huge tournaments such as the World Series of Poker.

Take for example Chris Moneymaker in 2004, an amateur accountant with a passion for the game took the Main Event by storm.

In more recent years, specifically 2009, a man named Darvin Moon (pictured), finished runner-up in the Main Event. The man doesn’t even have a TV or internet in his house and to be honest was quite clueless as far as poker is concerned.

But this man with his basic poker skills, and some luck managed to become a multi-millionaire virtually over-night. If he can do it, you can do it too!

5 – Poker is a math’s based game

I’ve had so many of my friends unwilling to start poker because it’s a maths game. Even though I try to get it passed them that IT’S NOT. Apart from some pot odds (which are very easy to calculate) and some all-in situations, there is basically no other math’s involved in live poker.

Some online players utilize complex hand tracking software, that’s where the complicated maths come in. But if you are a casual live cash game player, then maths shouldn’t be an important factor in your game. Don’t over think things, if your good enough your gut feeling will tell you what to do!

6 – You should practice with play money

You can’t imagine how many books, articles and websites I’ve read, recommending players to start learning poker by playing “play money” cash games. So you’re the best at Facebook™ poker? Sorry to inform you, you’re probably shit when it comes to real life real money poker games.

Trying to learn poker whilst using these free websites is not only pointless, but I think might also negatively affect your game. In these sites people play with complete disregard for chips and betting patterns are completely messed up.

I even remember reading somewhere that you should play 50,000 hands of play money before playing with real money (lol). You want my advice, don’t do it! And if you’re already playing on play money and interested in moving to real money poker, then stop playing and forget what you think you’ve learned!

7 – Online Poker is rigged

Endless forums and blogs around the internet have posts about online poker being rigged. I would probably say that more than 50% of people who play online unprofessionally would honestly believe that to an extent online poker is rigged. Some of you may believe that the worst hand always win, some may think that specific players are favoured on the site and others that newcomers to the site are given better hands in order to keep on playing.

Absolute b*shit if you ask me.

First of all there’s so many poker tracking sites nowadays that have virtually millions upon millions of hands stored in their databases. If a player was cheating, trust me people would know.

Secondly, there’s no reason for websites to install these kinds of mischievous behaviours within their gaming software. It would firstly discourage players from playing on their site and secondly be at risk of big law-suits. Still think online poker is rigged? Play 50,000 hands online, and then think about it again!

8 – The Poker Face

There is this misconception in poker, that I believe originated from Hollywood movies concerning the game, that to be a good player a good poker face is required. That you must be able to keep physical movements to a minimum and have a stare that would scare any man.

Wrong.

Believe it or not, when playing at low stakes cash games, I guarantee the players that will rely on physical tells is less than 5%. And I would say that only 1% of low-stakes cash games players can make reliable reads based on physical tells. No one cares if you have a good poker face, no one will notice how you move your hands or stack your chips.

Alternatively, most people rely on betting patterns, so instead of wasting so much time concentrating on your appearance, make sure your betting does not give too much information!

9 – Poker is an easy game

Poker might be an easy game to learn, but impossible to master. A wise man once said “Poker is the hardest way to make an easy living”. And believe me it’s true. If you think you can make it as a professional poker player after play for a year at your friend’s home cash game then your mistaken.

In order to improve your game, you might choose to read books, blogs, forums and poker player memoirs. You have play countless hours upon hours in order to have experience and be ready for any situation that you may face. You must analyse, evaluate, and improve your cash game with every session you complete, keep diary’s and discuss hands with fellow professionals.

You must be ready to take any bad beat, and rather than frowning about it, look at it and have a chuckle. You must be able to keep your gaming composure and control your tilt factor. So before you decide, your good enough, think again, you can never be too prepared!

10 – Poker = Gambling

Unfortunately, as all other games that involve placing monetary bets, poker is frowned upon. Many people associate it with casino gambling, where you have to put your faith in luck. This is mainly due to ignorance towards the game. I mean, being a poker professional, what a dream lifestyle it is.

But when people ask me what profession I practice, I rarely tell the truth. People tend to look down on me or laugh when I say that I am. But for as who know better, poker is a science, an art and a beautiful strategically and psychological game. I like to describe it as chess, but fun! =)