Novice poker players can be very susceptible to common mistakes in 5 Card Draw. Most skilled poker players became veterans by learning from their mistakes, and avoiding them in the future. This is the costly method. At PokerBeginner, it is our goal to teach new poker players what common mistakes are often made in 5 Card Draw poker so that they may steer clear of them from the start.

5 Card Draw common mistakes range from lack of patience and unconscious behavioral patterns, to betting on bad starting hands and poor bankroll management.

Starting Hands

When a player does not follow a good Starting Hand strategy in 5 Card Draw, they are betting entirely too often and essentially throwing money away. So many novices will pay to see the draw, thinking this small amount of chips won’t matter too much. In the long run, however, this is the fastest way to see your stack dwindle to nothing.

Starting Hands are so important, in fact, that we have developed an entire chapter on this subject. Please refer to the “Starting Hands” button on the left menu for fully detailed information regarding 5 Card Draw Starting Hands

Lack Of Patience

Patience and strict discipline are hard to come by in a poker player. You must ask yourself, are you playing to win – to make a substantial profit? Or are you playing because it’s fun and you’re not risking too much money (more than you can afford to lose) to have a good time. If you answered yes to the first question, patience and discipline are vital.

A good Starting Hand is not easy to come by and requires a great deal of patience to wait for. A beginner who has read strategies and thinks he has what it takes to become a pro will often get bored too soon and start betting on anything, just to see the draw. The discipline factor comes into play with behavioral patterns. A truly skilled poker player will never show his emotions, remaining calm and collected at all times.

Unconscious Behavioral Patterns

If you have read our 5 Card Draw chapter on Strategy, you already know that you should be observing your opponents cutely for any consistent patterns, associating them with the player’s hand development. In the same token, be very careful that you do not present these same types of patterns to your opponents. If you’re reading them, it’s only obvious to assume they are doing the same. Remain calm and composed at all times.

For more information regarding common poker tells and behavioral patterns (and what patterns to avoid), see the “Strategy” chapter found on the left menu.

Bankroll Management

Secondly, a player must not advance in blind levels too quickly. If you’re are breaking even or earning a minimal profit, it is not time to move up to higher stakes. The competition will be notably tougher. Wait until you are making significantly more than you are losing before advancing to higher levels.

The third factor directly follows the second by way of advancing levels, but involves doing so in order to chase losses. If you are losing at a lower stake, what makes you think you will win at higher stakes, where the competition is more difficult? This is one of the most costly, yet sadly common, mistakes in 5 Card Draw (or any poker variant for that matter.)