Lose Some to Win Some
A common misconception with beginning poker players is that they believe they can consistently post winning sessions from the start of their careers. Considering that most new players don’t even have a basic concept of odds, hand strength or tells, this is highly unlikely, yet losing immediately and often when they first start playing is what heavily discourages beginners from sticking with poker and getting better.
If this sounds like you, you need to understand that almost literally every poker player started off as a losing poker player, sometimes for months or even years. It takes a lot of time to learn how to read a table, size up an opponent, know how much to bet and when, the kind of strategy and tactics that can only be learned in the long run. Even if you read every poker book on the planet, there’s still a huge difference between having the information in your head and actually calling upon it during a game.
My advice is to drop down to the lowest stakes you can find, this will minimize your total losses while still giving you a competitive environment to improve your skills. Go into each game with the mindset that you are going to try to learn something new. If you just play to play, you’re never going to get any better. Set a goal for yourself, such as adopting the discipline to only play the top 10 starting hands on, or maybe trying to execute a few bluffs. Take mental or even written notes of what worked and what didn’t.
You may continue to lose consistently in the short run, but you will definitely start to notice an improvement on your skills. In poker, you need to be willing to lose a little in order to win a little, and then win a lot. Play at a limit that won’t cripple your bankroll, and move up accordingly as you poker game gets stronger.
