Top 5 mistakes made by beginners in online poker and how to avoid them right away

Online poker might seem simple and accessible. All it takes is registering, making a deposit, and opening your first table. Most beginners make a series of poor decisions — and it starts with their approach to gameplay.

Wrong conclusions quickly turn their play into a streak of losses. Rushing, emotional decisions, and a lack of basic knowledge make them easy targets for more experienced opponents.

It’s important to know: beginners making mistakes in poker is inevitable. But you can reduce them drastically.

❕ Once a beginner learns to avoid common traps, they’ll stop being a “fish.” “Fish” are opponents who get hooked easily. In this article, we analyze frequent blunders, their causes, and how to avoid them in practice.

Most novices view poker as a gamble where luck decides everything. This approach leads directly to early losses. Let’s look at typical mistakes:

✔️ Lack of experience. Beginners don’t know how to judge starting hands, or how strategy changes by position and stack.

✔️ Ignoring the math. They don’t understand outs or pot odds, so they make losing decisions.

✔️ Emotions and impatience. The urge to win fast leads straight into tilt.

✔️ No strategy. Without a clear plan, sessions devolve into chaos.

These mistakes are a natural phase for beginners, but if you don’t analyze and fix them, you’ll always be a fish.

#1 — Playing Way Too Many Hands

Preflop overactivity is one of the biggest issues. It seems like playing more hands means more chances—when in truth, weak hands almost never show a profit.

How to avoid being a fish: Take the example of calling with 9♦7♣ out of position. Even if you hit a pair, your opponent’s higher kicker wins easily. Fix this by switching to a tight-aggressive style: play only strong hands, act with initiative, and cut out unnecessary calls.

#2 — Ignoring Position

Position is one of the core factors shaping the hand’s outcome. New players treat every seat the same. Early position means acting first, not knowing what anyone else will do; for this reason, your range should be narrow. On the button and cutoff, you have informational advantage—so widen your range and steal blinds.

Key rule: The closer to the button, the wider your range; the closer to early position, the tighter your session should be.

#3 — Overrating Hand Strength

Top pair or overpairs look unbeatable, so many beginners put in their entire stack without seeing board threats.

For example: A♠Q♣ on a flop of A♥9♠7♠. Going all-in against aggression often ends up losing to a set or a flush.

To fix this, learn to read board texture and ranges. Don’t build big pots in questionable spots. Use pot control and never be afraid to fold. Evaluating hand strength in context leads to smarter play and protects your stack.

#4 — Not Managing Your Bankroll

One of the most expensive mistakes is playing for money you can’t afford to lose. Deposit $50 and jump straight into a $20 tournament — two bad beats, and half your bankroll vanishes.

Never risk more than 1–2% of your bankroll on a single session. With $100, play tournaments under $2 and stick to minimal cash levels. Good bankroll management protects your funds and your mindset; you stop treating every session as a “last chance” and play more logically.

For full details, see “ Bankroll Management in Poker: The Secret to Success for Every Player ”.

#5 — Tilt

A big loss triggers emotions. Then come wild all-ins and calls. These wipe out your stack almost immediately.

How to dodge this mistake: Set limits for losses and playing time. After a bad beat, take a break. Learn to view losses as just another part of the game. Emotional control separates the pro from the fish.

To leave your fish status behind, go into each session with a system. Here are the main rules:

✅ Review every session and key hands
✅ Use study software and theory alongside practice
✅ Keep a poker journal—track decisions and insights
✅ Watch pro streams and hand reviews, learn from their results

Losing isn’t a disaster—it’s a learning process if you use it for progress.

Reduce risks by keeping up a steady learning routine. Here are typical scenarios:

Example 1

Call with J♣9♦ from early position, hit a pair on a Q♥9♠3♣ flop, and lose to a stronger hand. Problem: hand is too weak for that position.

Example 2

Open-raise K♠Q♣ from early position; opponent on the button takes control and wins the pot. Mistake: opening the hand without the advantage of acting late.

Example 3

After losing a big pot, go all-in with 7♣5♣ to “win it back.” Called by pocket tens, and bust. Problem: emotionally driven decision.

Everyone makes mistakes in poker, but beginners pay a higher price. Most losses aren’t about bad luck—they happen because of recurring errors:

▶️ Playing too many hands
▶️ Playing out of position
▶️ Overvaluing holdings
▶️ Bankroll mistakes
▶️ Emotional decisions

You can spot and fix these things from the very start—just track your ranges, note position, and build discipline. Always stay calm about losses.

Each session review—win or lose—turns into experience. That’s what leads to more conscious play.

The key takeaway: Success in poker needs more than cards and luck—it needs a systematic approach.

The sooner you start working and applying pro advice, the faster you’ll stop being an easy target and build your game on a solid base.