There is probably no other game that has as many myths and misconceptions as poker. Knowing the difference between the myth and the truth will, no doubt, help any poker player win in the long run. Poker is a game of cards and numbers. The best hand, statistically wins, and this is the fact. So don’t become a victim of some popular misconceptions that only will make you loose money.

Myth 1. “The winner in poker is the person who wins most pots”. Wrong. The object of the game is to win the most amount of Money. If you go for winning pots all the time you will loose money. To be a successful poker player you need to know when to abandon the pot and fold your hand. Winning a lot of pots and loosing big pots is a costly mistake.

Myth 2. “You should stop when you are ahead on your money”. There is absolutely no reason to do so. If you are playing well, enjoying yourself, drawing good hands and have nothing better to do why stop? It is better to continue playing, enjoying yourself and carry on winning. On the other hand when you don’t feel right about the game and things are not working out in your favour this is the time to stop and do something else for a while.

Myth 3. “When playing poker you must keep your poker face on at all times”. You can be as animated as you want as long as your actions do not show the strength or weakness of your cards.

Myth 4. “You have to bluff to win at poker”. Bluffing is fun and a part of poker strategy, when used correctly. However it can turn out to be dangerous and costly when used in the wrong circumstances and wrong opponents. Bluff against a “calling station” and you are in big trouble. Bluff against too many people ditto. Don’t even try to bluff against more than two players. And if you are caught bluffing too many times you can expect more calls from your opponents.

Myth 5. “Good poker players are born not made”. Although this might be partially correct when it comes to super-super stars, most good poker players develop through a lot of practice and diligent studying of the game and numbers behind it. This is why poker is considered to be a game of skill and those players who analyse and constantly improve their skills make money in poker while others pay for.

Myth 6. “Online poker sites are fixed”. Years ago that may had been the case in some instances however not these days. All online poker rooms are licensed and regulated; the license issuing body constantly checks the randomness of the dealt cards and fairness of the play. Online poker rooms’ employees cannot see your hole cards when they are dealt. This information becomes visible only when the hand is completed and available to you in your hands history. Being a director of a poker site, I have top level access to the system and I can assure you that there is no unfair advantage information available to anyone. In fact when you play poker online you are more protected than if you were playing in a casino when another player or an observer can catch a glimpse of your cards.

Myth 7. “Changing sites will change your luck”. If you going through a loosing streak it is very tempting to try your luck on a new poker site and hope for good. Unfortunately this rarely works for most players. The only thing that will make poker gods smile at you again is patience, analysis of your play and improving your skills. In fact staying loyal to your chosen online poker site pays off better as you get to become familiar with the software, types of players and have can enjoy online poker promotions offered by the site to its faithful players.

Myth 8.”You have to be super aggressive to be good in poker”. There are only very few successful players who constantly play super aggressively and win. Those players are mostly poker legends and mainly tournament players. Ordinary players who adopt this game style go broke very quickly. Players who make money constantly in poker are usually selective rather than over the top aggressive at all times. You don’t need to be wimp, but don’t go all in on every hand you get, a more balanced approach will give you much better results in the long run.