Planning to become a pro poker player now that 2025 has rolled around? As crazy as it might sound, that’s actually a realistic goal for anyone willing to put in the time and effort. While it’s not something that will happen overnight, it actually might be possible within 6 – 12 months.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If you’re relatively new to poker, then your objective won’t be to become the greatest poker player of all time. The goal will simply be to become a competent, capable player who can hold their own at any table.
And that’s even more achievable than becoming the world’s greatest player. In many cases, the thing that prevents a new player from reaching that level is themselves. If you can avoid the common errors that newbies make, outlined below, then you’ll make it much easier to become a top player. Let’s take a look.
Overly Eager to Play
When we say ‘eager to play,’ we don’t mean ‘eager to play poker’; you won’t become a good player without some enthusiasm to get to the table! No, we mean that new players often make the mistake of being overly eager to play as many hands as possible.
There’s nothing that shouts ‘I’m new to this game’ more than playing every hand that you can. As a general rule, newcomers should play around 15-20% of the hands. It can be frustrating to simply sit on the sidelines and watch play, but hey, that’s how it goes.
Failure to Study
Thought that studying was only for students at the University of Liverpool? Think again. Poker might be a game, but it’s a serious game, and you can’t expect to reach a good standard if you’re not committing to studying theory and strategy. In fact, studying is so important that most leading players spend more than 50% of their ‘poker time’ with their heads in the books.
There’s a mountain of online and offline resources you can use to improve your poker play. Taking the time to study will make you a much-improved player essentially immediately, and will help give you the edge over a decent percentage of other players.
Letting Things Go To Your Head
Newcomers to poker can be a little intimidated by the goings on at the table, and that certainly doesn’t help their play. But sometimes, newcomers who have found a little bit of confidence can experience the opposite problem: they become too confident. Make no mistake, this is as damaging as not having enough belief in your play. You might have spent some time studying poker, but that won’t make you an expert player! There are a few tips you can follow to avoid being overly confident at the table, so keep them in mind if you can feel things going to your head a little. Remember: no matter how good you become, there’ll always be someone who’s better than you.
Playing On Autopilot
Poker sessions can be long. You might be sitting in a chair for hours on end. When fatigue sets in, some beginner poker players begin playing on autopilot. Instead of thinking deeply about the move they should make, they simply do whatever first comes to their mind.
And that nearly always results in poor play.
There are two solutions to this problem. One is to recognise the signs of poker fatigue and stop playing as soon as one of the signs presents itself. The other is to work on developing your mental and physical conditioning since this will help to keep fatigue at bay.
Final Tip: Don’t Play With Emotion!
We know it’s hard, especially if you feel that you’ve made a mistake that you want to make up for, but don’t play poker with emotion. It’s not a game to be played with your heart; it’s one where your head should be in the driving seat. Struggle to avoid getting carried away by your emotions? Try meditating before poker sessions.