10 Preflop Mistakes To Avoid

Posted On: December 9, 2022

Preflop is one of the most commonly played streets in poker and players have different strategies and approaches to Preflops.

There are mistakes newbies and average players make in Preflop that often cause them the game. If you want to strengthen your Preflop strategy these are ten mistakes you should avoid.

Limping

Limping is a poor strategy that involves a player calling the big blind Preflop, and the first player jumps into the pot.

Open limping doesn’t give you the chance to immediately win the pot by calling, considering the fact that there’s already dead money in the pot from the small blind and big blind.

Limping will expose you to aggression from players acting after you because they will be ready to exploit your weak range and they will be encouraged to make a call or raise against your weak range.

Lacking Positional Awareness

The lack of understanding between the position and the range is another common Preflop mistake. The range of hands you play at any given round should be largely influenced by your position.

When there are several players acting after you, the more your range should be tight. With more players yet to act, the higher the chances that you will come up again stronger hands.

The chances are that you will have to play a hand out of position which makes it harder to the advantage of marginal hands.

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Playing Too Passively

By calling too much you will be giving opponents the opportunity to drive the action with their bet. It’s better that you call only when you have strong hands.

Playing passively is a sign that you’re a poor player with little experience and this can be greatly exploited by better opponents.

Playing Too Aggressively

It can be easy to get carried away in Preflop to continuously raise to the point that you don’t realize that you’re only making the pot bigger. Thus giving the opponents the chance to win big.

Playing Too Loose

Playing too loose means playing too many hands irrespective of the strength of your hand. Loose hands can expose you to some aggressive play post flop.

You need to be more selective with your hands and only play when you have strong or semi-strong hands.

Playing Too Tight

It’s good to be selective with the hands you play but playing a few hands doesn’t help your game. You won’t always get aces and kings so you can sit around waiting till you get them before playing.

You need to open up to different ranges of hands and play less sure bankers a few times to give yourself more winning chances.

Not Recognizing The Importance Of Stack Sizes

You need to think about the amount of stake you’re committing to Preflop and how it will affect your game. In cash games and tournaments you need to stay liquid to remain in the game.

You should consider your opponents pot pot sizes to determine the amount they would likely put in the pot. This will help you determine the amount of stack you will put in a Preflop.

Calling Too Many Opening Raises From The Blinds

While it might be good to rausey from late Position when you have a strong hand, calling too many Preflop raises from the blinds is a mistake that can cause you your stack.

When you’re out of position, it’s harder for you to play draws. So you shouldn’t always be eager to defend your blinds with lots of calls.

Playing Hands That You Shouldn’t

There’s always the temptation to call a small bet to see a flop even with poor starting hands. You should however resist the temptation of playing medium or weak hands even in small bets.

Finding excuses to play medium hands in small calls will see you gradually lose your money, and it will cost you in the long run.

Raising Too Often Or Not Enough From The Button

When you raise too often an aggressive opponent will start re-raising big knowing that you’re likely going to fold because you can’t always have strong hands.

Also, you shouldn’t raise too seldomly especially if you’re in a late position. You can’t always wait till you have strong pairs before raising.

The goal is to be strategic in knowing when to raise.

Conclusion

Poker is an interesting game and there are many variables that can determine the result of a game session. Being one of most played streets, it is imperative for players to understand the pre-flop mistakes to avoid.