Poker players often talk about “balancing” their range – how to determine the proper balance of bluffs and value hands to play – while discussing the GTO and indifference points. For example, if you’re all-in on the river and your opponent calls, you would be getting 2:1 for the pot. If you’re not bluffing, you could add more hero calls and folds and still win the pot. Then you’d fold when your opponent’s hand was worth less than a 2:1 split.
Another crucial strategy is to avoid getting trapped by mediocre hands. The danger of having mediocre hands is that you’ll get impatient and reckless and lose bigger pots than you would have otherwise. Instead, try to be patient and play conservatively. By limiting your aggressive tendencies, you’ll avoid a ruthless streak of losing. Listed below are a few common mistakes you can make to make sure you’re not sucking out on the next hand.
You should start by setting your blinds – these are the amounts of money you put on the table before the cards are dealt. They’re often called “small” and “big,” and rotate from player to player with each new deal. Your hand’s strength is determined by the amount of money you’re willing to risk with your cards. If you’re the only person in the game with a weak hand, you’ll want to raise the blinds, but it’s not necessary to raise every time.