GTO Wizard_ 3 Mistakes Low-Stakes Players Make

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GTO Wizard: 3 Mistakes Low-Stakes Players Make

Many new and sometimes experienced poker players struggle to produce results better than breaking even or winning only a small amount. There is always a reason or reasons for this, which could be running bad in the short-term due to unfavorable card distribution. However, if disappointing results persist for an extended period, there’s a good chance players are making one of three common mistakes outlined in this article, along with advice on how to correct these errors.

Mistake #1: Slowplaying on Dry Boards

In a heads-up pot, you hold A♥8♣ on a K♠3♣8♥ flop. Your opponent raised from the button, and you called from the big blind. The common play years ago was to check and call if the opponent bets on such a dry board, avoiding raising with an unpaired hand or raising into a potential king. However, thanks to solvers like GTO Wizard, we now know that slowplaying on dry boards is a mistake. It fails to apply enough pressure on marginal hands and allows the opponent to take control or catch favorable turn or river cards if you simply call.

The optimal play, assuming the button bets, is to check-raise. This either takes down the pot while your pair is good or forces the opponent to commit more chips. Even if the opponent is overfolding to aggression, the solvers still recommend check-raising strong hands on the flop to extract value from the opponent’s bluff catchers. If the opponent is calling wide, our value hands make more money.

Mistake #2: Not Betting Big Enough When Your Opponent is Capped

Proper bet-sizing is often problematic for low-stakes players and can be the difference between breaking even and significant wins. Larger bets tend to be more profitable. For instance, a $100 bet into a $100 pot has an expected value (EV) of $50 based on EV = (bet size)*(calling frequency), whereas a $200 bet into a $100 pot has an EV of $67.

While polarizing with 2x pot-sized bets is not always advisable, there are certain instances where it pays to do so. Using GTO Wizard can help determine the correct bet-sizing for specific situations.

Mistake #3: Not Betting Low Equity Hands Enough

Many low-stakes players fail to bet enough with low equity hands, leading to missed value or unnecessary bad beats. The goal should be to balance your range and avoid predictability. Betting hands like J-10 offsuit or Q-8 offsuit more often can help take down pots early when you flop a pair, rather than slowplaying or attempting to set traps.

These three mistakes are common among 90% of low-stakes cash game players. Correcting them can provide a significant edge over the competition.