Perhaps due to the ubiquity of poker in our cultural vocabulary, most people who speak the English language think they know a bit about poker. We keep a “poker face” while “keeping our cards close to our chests” and “playing the hand that life has dealt us”. Using so many poker terms as a metaphor for life situations means that even people who’ve never played poker believe they understand it better than they really do.
This is perhaps why there are numerous myths and misconceptions about poker, and why, if you’re seeking out some non Gamstop poker sites, you should also give some thought to learning more about the game, too. Because if you believed half of what you’re told about poker by society, culture and cliche, you could end up with entirely the wrong idea about a game that’s more complex than people like to think.
Myth #1 – Poker is a game of pure luck
Pretty much no game is pure luck. Even Rock, Paper, Scissors has some psychology to it. Poker definitely isn’t a game of luck. There’s a bundle of skill, strategy and emotional intelligence involved if you’re playing at any kind of serious level. If you doubt that, challenge a poker champion to a few hands of the game. If it’s all about luck, you should be able to beat them at least a couple of times, right? The truth is, a good poker player will absolutely rinse a novice every time because they know how and when to make their move.
Myth #2 – You need to bluff to win
The best poker players are the ones who play the right game at the right time. For sure, they will bluff sometimes. Other times, they won’t need to, because their hand is good enough that they can play it straight. Added to that, someone who bluffs every time will find that they gain a reputation for bluffing, and any attempt to do it will be treated with skepticism. Furthermore, some players – even professionals – aren’t that great at bluffing and have what people call a “tell” which makes their efforts easy to spot. You need to be good to win, that’s the start and end of it.
Myth #3 – You need to play aggressively to win
Let’s take as a metaphor the Los Angeles Raiders teams of the 1980s. They were very good at a vertical deep passing game, always having quarterbacks who’d go long and receivers who were very fast. And they didn’t win a single Super Bowl, because everyone knew they were going to throw deep most of the time and figured out how to counter them. Similarly, if you are always aggressive at the poker table, people will soon note that that’s what you’re doing. They won’t be intimidated by aggressive play, and will call if they have a good hand – and sooner or later you’ll be out of the game. If you’re a one-dimensional player, you’ll be figured out soon enough.