Poker has been played for many years, and while some argue that its golden years have passed, the game still remains popular. With the advancement of technology, money earning games like Poker have become a “status symbol” kind of online game these days.
There are many misconceptions about Poker gameplay and rules that players should know. Here, we will look at the four most common poker rules, explore their concepts, and explain how they are misunderstood.
- Win-Rates Are Always Stable
Another common—and potentially dangerous—misconception in Poker is that win rates are constant. This is most common with cash players, who believe they will continue to win X money over Y hands. The risk comes when a player relies on this number as if it were a steady source of income.
In reality, professional poker players experience prolonged variations, making predicting your exact monthly income nearly impossible. A practical issue arises for players with the “grind X money in Y times” mentality: it is not conducive to improving. Instead of focusing on improving your win rates, you focus on maintaining them while ignoring your development.
- If You have X, You Have to Y
Anyone who has spent time in online live games or Poker forums is probably familiar with this formulaic phrasing: “If you call pre-flop, you have to call on the flop!” Alternatively, “If you called the flop, you must call on a blank turn.”
Some players believe that you must see the turn and river if you play a marginal hand and hit the flop reasonably well. This advice is relatively common, even though it is entirely false. You must consider each street separately and play accordingly.
- Slow Roll is Always Ideal
Another misunderstood aspect is that slow rolling is best every time you play. On the contrary, it is one of the worst things a player can do and should be avoided at all costs. This is when you know you have the best hand but refuse to show it on time, giving another player the illusion that they will win.
It is not a slow roll if you do that to conceal your holdings while still in the middle of the hand. However, when the action moves to a showdown, or you place all of your chips on the nuts, you should reveal your hand rather than giving your opponent the impression that they are ahead.
This is just common courtesy and good etiquette for the Poker sequence. Instead of bad manners and slow rolling when you have the opportunity, show some grace and act like a winner.
- Checking the Nuts
It is another rare rule which is known to the Newbie Poker Players. See, having the Nuts means that the player has the highest hand possible in the game. For example, if one can make a royal flush (10, J, Q, K, and A of spades), then it is Nut. Knowing this, the player has to raise if any opponent bets or bet if someone checks. Not doing this would be a penalized action in the Poker game as it will turn it into a home game with everyone checking and all friendly.
Conclusion
Even if you don’t understand the rules, it all boils down to common sense. Respect other players and staff, don’t give out any information when not playing, and don’t bother different players.
Now that you’ve learned some rare misconceptions about Poker, it’s time to put them to use in your next poker game. This will not only ensure that you have a better time in the money earning games, like Poker but will also increase your respect at the table. After all, isn’t it worth it to be a gentleman at the poker table and earn money?