Big and small mistakes at poker

Apr 24, 2009 poker advices

While playing poker, you should distinguish big mistakes from small ones. It is very important to understand this difference. In poker mistake means the negative expected value of bets. It is clear that luck cannot be eternal: sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But the probability of wins and losses can directly depend on expected value, mentioned above. Let’s understand the difference between small and big mistakes at poker. It’s not difficult to realize that a small mistake is a decision with a small negative expected value i.e. for instance you are playing $.50-$1 no-limit and make a decision that has a -$.05. If you lose five cents, it will not be a tragedy, and that’s why this mistake can be characterized as a small mistake. And big mistake is accordingly a decision with a big negative expected value, for example, a decision that has -$16 EV in a $.50-$1 no-limit game. In the last situation risk to lose money is higher, than the first one.

And you should take into consideration three main factors that can help you to determine big and small mistakes. They are: 1) The size of the pot; 2) The quality of your hand against your opponent’s actual hand; 3) The probability that your opponent would have that hand versus other hands under the same circumstances. Always pay attention to these factors and try to make less big mistakes, because it is rather risky, but sometimes risk can be justified. Good game!

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