Unforgivable Poker Curses: (In)excusable Mistakes

Brain Farting to Bust Yourself Out

Would you ever do something unbelievably stupid at the poker table and ask yourself later: what was that?

More often than not, mistakes like this end up costing people just a few chips. However, in the most extreme cases, it means you’re finishing the game prematurely because of momentary stupidity.

This exact thing happened to the Reddit thread topic starter, borealis365 in a WSOP Circuit event — and he shared it with a hint of shame:

“Was just in a relatively large (1700 player) live MTT, $400 buy in. 15 % of the field get paid but only 5% of the field makes day 2, I squeeze into day 2 with 12 BB.

81 players left and I’m in the BB, first to act player min-raises and it folds around to me. As my money in the middle (excluding antes) is half his I think he’s the BB and I’m the SB. I jam with 93 off, hoping to steal the blinds. Except of course he isn’t in the blinds and made a raise. He insta-calls with AKo. I guess I wasn’t in terrible shape but didn’t hit and got eliminated. Such an embarrassing mistake for so late in the tournament. Felt sick to my stomach after playing my A-game for so long then have a momentary brain fart like that to eliminate myself after 9 hands on day 2 of such a big WSOP circuit event.”

However, some self-eliminations happen because people rely on their messy brains instead of checking the information before starting to play. For example, that’s how CastlesInTheSky87 lost his bullet once — and he’s still ashamed of it:

How Do I Avoid Brain Farting in Poker?

You can’t — even the most well-rounded, intelligent and self-controlled players struggle with their brain stopping from time to time. So, the only thing you can do is treat your body well and reduce the risk of your brain getting all confused by sleeping and eating well, exercising regularly and being mindful of your stress levels. 

Mistaking A4 for AA

Ace-Four could be the most deceiving hand in poker but only because people tend to read it as a pair of Aces.

There are a lot of reasons to make this mistake: haste, ADHD, absent-mindedness, fear, night blindness — you name it. But some of these reasons are a little more shameful than others — at least for the person who actually makes them, as The_Osta shared on Reddit:

Inattentiveness can also trick your eyes when A4 lands, as Cobrakai52 tells it:

“Same thing happened to me in a survivor tournament, 2 away from the money. Misread A-4 as AA. And called an all in. Villain had AA. I was knocked out. Sad sad day.”

How Do I Avoid Confusing A4 With AA?

The answer is simple: take your time when reading your hands. Double checking works miracles.

Mucking Ahead of Time

The sour taste of disappointment is never far away in poker but it’s strongest than when you muck your hand just to realize — you held a winning one.

This feeling is familiar to too many members of our community — for example, vinnySTAX shared his humiliating story on this topic:

A similar situation also left a scar on Doge_Of_Wall_Street forever:

“Playing a local $300 tournament and get to the river with 33 on a J-high board. The best player at the table raises about 3/4 pot and based on previous action, it felt bluffy. So I called.

He’s sitting at the very far end of the table and confidently turns over J8 for top pair. I sigh and muck my hand. And then I see it wasn’t J8, it was Q8. He had Q-high. I realize it just as the dealer scoops my cards into the muck.”

How Do I Avoid Mucking Ahead of Time?

Pay close attention to the action that’s happening right in front of you. This, combined with a measured pace of solid decision-making, is the only way to keep up with your opponents and not let them win pots that should be yours.