6 Habits Keeping Poker Beginners Stuck

05 Apr 2025

Beginner

This material is for beginner players

There are six bad habits that keep poker beginners stuck and some of these might be costing you money at the poker tables as well. Throughout my entire professional poker career, anytime I see somebody making the seven mistakes that I'm gonna show you today, I mark that player as a weaker player right away. I target them because I know that's where the profit's gonna be coming from. So without any further ado, let's jump into it. 

One of the biggest mistakes amateur poker players make is chasing weak draws — hands that have very few outs and low odds of completing. This habit can quietly drain your bankroll over time. A draw in poker is when you don’t currently have a strong hand, but you're one card away from making something like a straight or a flush.

As a general rule, only chase draws that have 8 outs or more. Less than that, and you're often calling with bad odds and setting yourself up to lose money in the long run.

Bad example — chasing a weak draw:

• You hold  .
• The flop comes   .

This gives you a gutshot straight draw — also called an inside straight draw. You need exactly a 7 to complete the straight.

Your outs are:

•    .
• Total: 4 outs.

Why is this a problem? From the flop to the river, a hand with 4 outs has only around a 20% chance to hit. That’s just not good enough to justify calling bets — especially if you're not getting the right pot odds.

Let’s simplify:

• Good draws = 8+ outs = Worth chasing (e.g., open-ended straight draws, flush draws).
• Weak draws = 4-5 outs = Usually not worth it.

Stop chasing long shots. Weak draws like gutshots may seem tempting, but over time they lose you money. Stick to chasing hands with solid equity — and leave the “hope and pray” approach behind. This leads us directly into bad habit #2: not raising with good draws — because once you’re in with a strong draw, you should consider playing it aggressively.

A common mistake that costs amateur players a lot of money is only calling with their draws — especially good ones. When you do that, you give yourself only one way to win: by completing your draw. But if you raise, you instantly give yourself two ways to win:

• You can hit your draw and win the hand.
• You can make your opponent fold and win without a showdown.

It’s crucial to understand that your drawing odds don’t change when you raise — you still have the same chance of completing your hand. The difference is, you now have fold equity too.

Let’s break down an example:

• You hold  .
• The flop comes   .
• You have an open-ended straight draw (OESD).

Your outs:

• 4 nines:    .
• 4 fours:    .

That gives you 8 outs total.

Your equity: you have roughly a 35% chance to hit your straight by the river. If you just call, you’re surrendering the pot 65% of the time when you miss. That’s not great — especially if your opponent keeps betting and you’re forced to fold later.

How do we fix this? Mix in raises with your good draws. This:

• Applies pressure on your opponent.
• Allows you to pick up the pot when they fold.
• Keeps your poker strategy unpredictable.
• Increases your win rate over time.

And remember — not every draw is worth raising. Focus on strong, high-equity draws like:

• Open-ended straight draws.
• Combo draws (e.g., straight + flush draw).
• Nut flush draws.

One of the most common habits that costs amateur players a fortune is slowplaying big hands. It might seem clever to disguise the strength of your hand, but in most low-stakes games, this strategy ends up costing you value.

Let’s break it down with an example:

• You hold  .
• A recreational player — known for calling with all kinds of weak hands — enters the pot.
• The flop comes:   .
• You’ve flopped top two pair, a premium hand in most situations.

This is not the moment to check or call passively. Yet many players slowplay here, hoping to “trap” their opponent. But by doing this, they often:

• Keep the pot small when they should be building it.
• Miss value from drawing hands that would’ve called a bet.
• Lose control of the hand if scary cards fall on the turn or river.

What is slowplaying? It’s when you intentionally underplay a strong hand by checking, calling, or making small bets in hopes of extracting value later.

Why is it a problem:

• It limits how much money you can win with your best hands.
• It gives opponents free cards that may beat you.
• It leads to missed value against players who are willing to call with much worse.

On a board like this, there are tons of hands that will call a big bet, especially from recreational players:

• Any Ace.
• Any Jack or Nine.
• All flush draws (two spades).
• All straight draws like Queen-Ten or Ten-Eight.

If you check and your opponent doesn’t bet, you’ve missed a huge opportunity. And if they do bet, you might not get more than one street of value.

Instead of slowplaying, do this:

• Bet big on the flop to start building the pot.
• Raise big if your opponent leads into you.
• Keep betting on later streets unless a dangerous card changes the board texture.

So when you hit a monster like top two pair, stop trying to get sneaky — get value immediately. That’s how professionals consistently grow their bankrolls.

One of the most common and costly mistakes that beginner poker players continue to make is playing weak  hands — commonly known as "ace rag".

For example, consider a hand like  . This is a textbook ace rag: you hold an ace paired with a low, unconnected kicker. Against competent opponents who only play strong aces like   ace-king or  , this type of hand puts you in consistently bad spots.

Now imagine the flop comes:

• .
• .
• .

You’ve hit top pair — but the problem is your kicker. If your opponent has  , you're almost drawing dead. In this scenario, your equity is only about 11.21%. That means you’ll win the pot roughly one in nine times, even though you’ve paired your ace.

This is where many amateurs go wrong. They see top pair and commit too much of their stack, not realizing how far behind they actually are. The long-term result can be next:

• Losing large pots with second-best hands.
• Getting trapped by stronger aces.
• Bleeding chips slowly but consistently.
• Reduced win rate due to poor hand selection.

Prioritize premium ace holdings, such as:

•  .
•  .
•  .

Fold weak aces in early positions or when facing strong preflop action. Understanding the dangers of ace rag hands and choosing better starting hands will immediately strengthen your game. Good players know that folding marginal spots is just as important as winning big pots — and learning when to let go of weak aces is a crucial part of that discipline.

A value bet in poker is a bet made when you strongly believe you have the best hand and want to get paid. This is one of the most important sources of profit in poker, aside from bluffing. But while bluffing is flashy, consistent long-term winnings come mainly from extracting value when ahead.

Let’s look at a common situation. You raise preflop with  , and a tight, passive player calls. This is a type of opponent you’ll run into frequently — they tend to call a lot and chase weak draws but rarely play aggressively.

The flop comes:   . You’ve hit top pair. You make a continuation bet, and your opponent calls — a very standard line.

The turn brings the . You check, and they check behind. This is a spot where you could bet for value or check to mix up your play. Personally, a balanced approach — betting around 50% of the time and checking the other half — keeps you unpredictable in the long run.

The river is the . Here’s where many amateurs make a costly mistake: they check again, planning to call if their opponent bets. This kind of thinking leaves money on the table.

Here’s why:

• Most players, especially passive ones, won’t bluff the river often.
• If they hold a middle-strength hand — like a queen, ten, or seven — they’re unlikely to bet it themselves.
• By checking, you give them the opportunity to check back, and you miss a chance to extract value.

Instead, the optimal move here is to value bet — and to bet big. Your hand is underrepresented due to the passive line on the turn. Opponents are unlikely to put you on top pair or better, making them more inclined to call with weaker hands.

Failing to make value bets like this is one of the most common and costly habits among less experienced players. To avoid this leak:

• Recognize when you’re ahead in the hand, especially against passive opponents.
• Don’t rely on your opponent to bet for you — they often won’t.
• Be confident betting the river when your hand is strong and underrepresented.
• Size your bet in a way that maximizes value from second-best hands.

Missing river value bets might not seem like a big deal in the moment, but over hundreds or thousands of hands, it can significantly reduce your poker win rate. The best players are constantly capitalizing on these opportunities. Make sure you do too.

Going on tilt has never been a successful strategy in the history of poker. Yet many players continue to fall into this trap, often with costly consequences.

Consider a common scenario. You go all-in with   — the best starting hand in No-Limit Hold’em. Your opponent, a loose and inexperienced player, calls with ace-nine. You’re more than a 90% favorite to win. The flop and turn seem harmless, but then the river brings a  that completes a backdoor straight. You lose the hand and, in a tournament setting, possibly your entire run after several hours of play.

This kind of bad beat is part of the game. However, what often follows is where real damage happens. Many players react emotionally and make poor decisions. Typical signs of going on tilt include:

• Immediately entering another game, often at higher stakes.
• Playing aggressively or recklessly to recover losses.
• Ignoring sound strategy in favor of emotional impulse.
• Focusing on “getting even” rather than making good decisions.

Instead of chasing losses, the correct move is to stop playing. Recognize that your mental state is affected. Even though you played the hand correctly, continuing now likely puts you at a disadvantage.

Here’s what experienced players do in this situation:

• Acknowledge the loss without judgment.
• Accept that variance is part of poker.
• Take a break from the game, ideally for the rest of the day.
• Avoid re-entering games until they feel focused and balanced.

The ability to walk away is a crucial but underrated skill in poker. Professionals don’t just manage the cards — they manage themselves. When emotions are high, stepping away protects both your bankroll and your long-term win rate.

Continuing to play while tilted can result in:

• Poor decision-making.
• Larger, unnecessary financial losses.
• Missed opportunities to regain composure.
• Giving an advantage to more focused opponents.

Tilt doesn’t just cost you one hand — it can unravel entire sessions. One of the most important habits you can build is learning to recognize when it’s time to quit. Knowing when not to play is often what separates consistent winners from long-term losers. Protect your edge, protect your mindset, and return only when you’re mentally prepared to play your best game.