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THE NATURE OF HAND SELECTION ERRORS
Let me be clear, I am not talking about those situations in which the play of typically unprofitable hands becomes justified.
It is a fact of poker that, within limits, the more skilled you are, and the less skilled your opponents are, the more you will be able to profit from hands which other players, or players facing tougher competition, should throw away.
I am talking about situations, often involving opponents of at least average skill, in which there is no valid rationale for the play of a particular hand. This error takes many forms. Most commonly it involves limping in with a hand that is too weak for the situation. Calling with something like
In an early-middle position in a typical middle limit game is one example. It can also take the form of calling a raise “cold” with an inadequate hand. I frequently see semi-skilled players call an average player’s early position raise with a hand like:
At other times it involves an unwarranted raise, often with a hand that probably shouldn’t have been played at all. Players who routinely raise with Axs tend to be guilty of this mistake. (Sometimes a raise with Axs is not a hand selection error per se, but may be an error in the play of the hand. This essay applies to some of these kinds of errors as well).
Another raise of this kind involves the use of overly liberal starting requirements when attempting to steal the blinds. (Hint: any two will usually not do here.) I have it to the reader to identify further examples of the hand selection errors to which I refer.
Playing Too Many Hands-I / Playing Too Many Hands-II
Bad Plays Good Players make / Self-Weighting Cold Calls
Do You Pass the Ace-Queen Test /
Conjecture on the Limits of Tell Detectability
Quick Indicators / Afterthought