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Avoiding and Exploiting Common Mistakes in Texas Hold Em
Texas Hold Em is a game of decisions. As you improve your overall game, you will make a greater number of correct decisions and fewer mistakes. Cutting down on mistakes will win more money than anything else you can do to improve your game.

On the flip side of that, you win MORE money the more you exploit the mistakes of others. All the mistakes I will discuss in this series are easy to spot. The trick is to profit as much as you can when they occur.

The First Mistake: Marrying Early
My parents never agreed on much. But they agreed on one thing, and they both gave me the same advice over and over again. “Son, don’t ever be in a hurry to get married.”

I took that advice, in life and at the poker table.

In Texas Hold Em, you never want to get married to your starting hand. Flirting is fine, even dating. Go ahead and tattoo a pair of aces on your forearm, if you really have to. Just don’t marry the damn things. You don’t know them yet.

With most hands, it’s easy to follow this advice. You don’t look twice at 4-9 or 7-2. With Ace-Queen or Ace-Jack, King-Queen, or low pocket pair, you’re in a situation akin to eyeing a pretty stranger in a smoky bar. She has potential, but you don’t know anything about her. You might be willing to date her, but you wouldn’t think about marrying her…unless you’re in Vegas and you’ve had way too much to drink. That’s why you should never drink alone in Vegas, and you shouldn’t drink excessively at the poker table.

But the premium hands have a way of seducing you. They’re like the REALLY attractive girl with the killer body and sexy gleam in her eyes when she smiles. Think Angelina Jolie. Logically, you know better than to marry her. But when she’s staring you in the face, the idea of marriage sure is tempting.

Pocket Jacks might have this effect, particularly on the novice. They’re like the nineteen year old college girl, who downs shots like crazy, French kisses every guy in sight and flashes her breasts upon whim. The uninitiated may fall for her, but the experienced veterans know better. You might date her, but you don’t marry her. You don’t even get your hopes up. You wait and see.

Pocket queens are more like the good looking older woman who sits down next to you and flirts unashamedly, making you feel like a million bucks, then drinking a little too much and opening her soul to you. You know she has a lot to offer, but you still need to exercise caution. She has potential to do good, and potential to do harm.

If it’s two cowboys that do the trick for you, there’s nothing wrong with that. I have yet to see “Brokeback Mountain” but I understand that they can have an allure and charm. They’re strong and proud and easy to fall for. Just remember, once in awhile, they’re vulnerable too. It’s ok to love them. Just don’t marry them.

None of them quite compare to the almighty seductress, pocket aces. When you hold them in your hand, the cards feel like they’re on fire. Your heartbeat increases. Your throat goes dry. This is like being approached by the gorgeous, confident woman in the sexy black or red dress, with the perfect body. She crosses her beautiful, tan legs when she sits down next to you. Her eyes gleam when she smiles at you and her perfume scent engulfs you. You’re not just thinking about dating this woman. You’re thinking marriage. You can’t help it. You’ll live happily ever after, you’ll have ten children, three cars, a swimming pool, a dog…

Stop right there! Take a deep breath. It’s normal to THINK marriage, just don’t do it yet! Your inner voice should be screaming, “This is great…but BE CAREFUL!” You don’t have enough information. Not all the cards have fallen. If you plunge ahead too soon with this one, she can be more dangerous than all the others combined. This one can ruin you.

You’ve seen the victims. How many times have you seen players go broke with aces? How many movies has Billy Bob Thornton made since Angelina Jolie left him?

Don’t get married to ANY starting hand. A good player can lay down Ace-King, Queen-Queen, King-King or Ace-Ace without batting an eye. If you play it as cool as you should, nobody will even know you had them. Sure, you had your opponent dominated before the flop, but if he’s got you AFTER the flop, learn to walk away. It is part of the game, and you shouldn’t let it bother you.

Exploiting the Flaw
Many players seem to think that if they have the best starting hand, they deserve to win.

Have you seen how furious these people get when their pocket aces get cracked? They can’t resist telling the table they had aces. Some of them even complain, “I hate pocket aces!” It angers them that the aces don’t win every single time!

If your opponent has this flaw, it will be so easy to spot, you won’t even really need to look. He will whine and cry about his “bad beat” and he’ll keep crying about those aces or kings for several hands, if not all night. Don’t let his crying annoy you - be thankful that he’s exposing a glaring weakness. Know that if he falls for that seductress in a later hand and you’re the one lucky enough to catch the flop on him, you can win A LOT of money, because he won’t be able to lay it down no matter how much you bet.

The Winning Hand
On a final note, I was dealt Ace-King suited last May. I was properly cautious, but when the flop came 10-J-Q of the SAME SUIT, the time for hesitation was over. Great rewards do come to those who are patient. This column is dedicated to my fiancee, Tawnia.

Grifter Jim is a senior writer for PokerPlasm.com.