5 Poker Myths That Keep Your Win Rate Low

18 Apr 2025

Intermediate

This material is for medium-skilled players

Struggling to hit the kind of poker profits you dream about? The issue might not be about learning new strategies — it could be about ditching some bad habits. In this article, I’m busting five common poker myths that might be quietly draining your win rate. I could probably write a poker parody about them. And trust me, the last one is completely absurd — yet somehow, people still believe it. Here we go!

Let’s start with a classic. This myth was already floating around when Doyle Brunson tried on his first cowboy hat. Thanks to Hollywood, it’s still alive and well. Movies love to frame poker as a battle of wits, where the key to winning is spotting every little twitch, scratch, or drop of sweat. The idea? You can catch every bluff just by watching someone’s shaky hands or itchy nose. The reality? Tells are massively overrated.

Have I ever won a big pot because someone scratched their nose at the wrong moment? Sure, maybe once or twice. But I’ve probably lost just as many pots because I trusted my gut instead of focusing on what really matters: ranges, bet sizing, and game dynamics.

If you want consistent results, focus on understanding your opponent’s playing style, their tendencies, and their likely holdings based on board texture and previous actions. That approach is far more reliable than trying to decode someone’s body language — especially when it could just as easily be a false tell.

So, let’s bust the first myth: You don’t need to be a human lie detector to beat the game. Stick to the fundamentals — they’ll take you much further than guessing at nervous tics ever will.

Let’s move on to the second myth — one that’s so deeply ingrained in live poker culture, many players never stop to question it. You flop a flush draw, and people get excited like they just won a lifetime supply of chocolate. But when they have a made hand and a possible flush draw appears on the board? Panic sets in. The default reaction is to fire a huge bet, thinking they’re «protecting» their hand.

Sure, you’re ahead of a flush draw at that moment — but not by much. For example, a top pair hand might only have around 60% equity against a strong drawing hand. That means the draw still has decent chances to catch up.

And let’s be honest — most players chasing flush draws aren’t folding to a standard-sized bet anyway. So when you overbet in the name of protection, you often just hand them the right price to continue.

Instead of trying to scare off the draw with a massive bet, think in terms of value and pot control. Don’t punish yourself by building a huge pot when your edge is thin. Understand the math and play accordingly. You'll protect your bankroll a lot better that way.

Thus, myth number two: «I need to protect against flush draws» is busted. No, you don’t. Instead, focus on value betting and making smart decisions based on equity and your opponent’s tendencies.

Now let’s move on to myth number three, and I want to illustrate this one with a real hand I played. I was in a $1/$2 live game and raised pocket kings from an early position to $15. 

Normally, I wouldn’t open that big, but given the kind of player sitting in the big blind, I didn’t hesitate. As expected, everyone folded except for the big blind, who casually flicked in his chips and called.

The flop came   . I made a standard continuation bet, and he called. The turn brought an , and we both checked. The river was a complete brick . He checked again, and I tossed out a small value bet. He called.

I turned over my  , and he showed down  . Why am I showing you this hand? Because the big blind’s play is a prime example of a habit that drains bankrolls over time.

Calling a raise with Queen-7 offsuit from the big blind is just lighting money on fire. He might as well have handed me his chips wrapped in a bow with a thank-you card attached. And yet — so many players do this because they feel like they have to defend their big blind.

What’s even worse? When players are traveling or out of town, they become even more attached to this mindset. They think: «Well, I already put some money in, might as well see a flop». That logic is completely flawed.

Yes, you’ve already invested one big blind — but that’s nothing compared to the amount you’ll need to pay postflop. If your hand is trash and you're out of position, all you're doing is throwing good money after bad.

So let’s bust myth number three: You don’t need to defend your big blind (or straddle) with garbage. Fold, wait for a better spot, and stop bleeding chips out of obligation.

And now, on to another classic — one of my personal favorites to bust. Let’s break it down with a hand example:

A player in the middle position raises to $10, and our hero calls from the big blind holding   suited. The flop comes down the   . Standard procedure here is to check the preflop aggressor, right?

But here’s where many old-school players go rogue: they lead out with a small bet. The logic? «I want to find out if my weak top pair is good. If he has an overpair, he’ll raise me. If he has Ace-King and folds, then great — I won’t get outdrawn».

It might sound reasonable on the surface… but only until you face a skilled opponent. A good player will sniff this out immediately and start applying pressure. But before we get into counterplay, let’s take a step back and ask: What is poker really about? Sure, it’s about winning money — but more precisely, it’s a game of minimizing your own mistakes while maximizing the mistakes of your opponents.

When you lead out with a weak top pair in this spot, you actually let your opponent play close to perfectly. If he has an overpair, you’re just feeding the pot for him. If he has nothing, you deny him the opportunity to bluff. Or worse, if he does bluff-raise, now you’re stuck in a tough spot where folding might feel like the only option.

And if he’s holding something like Ace-King, you’re giving him a cheap shot to spike a pair on the turn or river. There’s just no efficient way to induce a mistake from your opponent with this kind of bet.

Yet, players keep doing it. Why? Because they’re trying to «find out where they’re at». This move even has a name: «betting for information». So, myth number four, where you should bet to find out where you’re at, is officially debunked.

Here’s the better approach: check for information. You won’t get a printed report of your opponent’s hole cards, but by watching how they respond. Whether they check back, bet small, overbet, or raise — you’ll gather far more useful clues than by tossing in a probing bet. 

Let’s wrap things up with a myth that’s almost too absurd to take seriously — but still sneaks into some players' logic. Thankfully, fewer people fall for this one nowadays. But when you do find someone who believes it, buckle up — you’re about to reel in a fish the size of a bass boat.

Here’s how their thought process goes: «In the lottery, if I buy 10 tickets instead of one, I increase my chances of winning tenfold. Yes, fair enough. So in poker, if I play 10 times as many hands, I should win 10 times as often».

On the surface, that seems like math. But in practice, it’s madness. Yes, technically, playing more hands does mean you’ll win more pots. But what these players miss is that you’ll also lose money way faster. Like, fire-hose-of-chips kind of fast.

These are the folks who limp in with garbage like 7-4 suited or Jack-Deuce offsuit, praying to the flop gods for a miracle. Sure, they’ll hit now and then. But long term? This strategy is a first-class ticket to Brokeville — and trust me, the view ain’t great.

So let’s be clear: myth number five: The more hands you play, the better your chances of winning — is flat-out false.

We’ve busted some of poker’s most stubborn myths today. So what’s next? Well, if you’re serious about leveling up your game, check out our poker articles section for more. Here we share the most effective ways to actually improve your poker skills, fast. Anyways, time to ditch the myths and start stacking chips the smart way!