Five Mistakes: Live Poker Cash Games

POOR PREPARATION
In poker, time is money in a far more literal sense than most other pursuits. Every minute you spend waiting for a table or getting to the casino is a minute you’re not playing.

Call ahead to the poker room and get on the waiting list for the game you want – most will allow you to call in up to an hour ahead. Plan your trip to the room so that you don’t run into ridiculous traffic on your way.

If you prefer a non-holdem game, ask the floor what days and times that game is most likely to run so you can avoid showing up and sitting around twiddling your thumbs in some game you don’t want to play while waiting futilely for the game you do want to start.

CHASING LOSSES
No one likes losing. Sessions are pretty arbitrary divisions of time, but it still bothers most people to leave when they’re down. This effect is multiplied when you play live because there’s such a perceived investment of time and energy on your part. As a result, some players will extend their session well beyond their physical and mental capabilities just in an attempt to not end a session down – even if it’s for a trivial amount of cash.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a player at the table (or been that player, sadly) who was probably down half a buy in and dropped another 2 buy ins trying to get unstuck – especially if they were up big at some point in the session.

Let it go – sessions are, after all, just a random point where you say “I’m done playing poker for now”, and you don’t get any extra bonus at the end of the year for having a certain amount of winning sessions. Chasing losses because you need to feel like the session was worth your time is a dangerous mindset that will rarely work result in a positive outcome.

NOT HAVING FUN
Poker is work, but one of the massive advantages live poker has over online is that it can be fun. You’ll encounter interesting characters, see some fascinating / disgusting / unbelievable scenarios play out at the table, hear some interesting (and some mind-bendingly dull) stories , and so on.

While you definitely want to be focused, shutting out the table when you’re not in a hand is probably a mistake. If you’re having a good time, you play better, and if you’re playing better, you play more – and not just more hours, but more useful hours where you’re engaged and learning. That’s a positive cycle that can really accelerate your development as a poker player and the growth of your bankroll simultaneously.

Live poker is, at heart, a game of small edges executed over time while you patiently wait for the occasional large opportunity for profit. Cleaning up some of the issues you may have with the former means you’ll be able to claim more of the latter at the end of the day.

One thing live doesn’t have: rakeback. PartTimePoker is one of the oldest and most trusted providers of rakeback online. Click here to view all of our offers.

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