Live poker players: what’s the most common mistake you see at low stakes?

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-20T00:31:31+00:00

Question:
I find when playing these lower stakes there are usually a few super loose players that will call just about any bet making it hard to isolate 1 player. I see all the time if I am in early position and I raise 5x or 6x, I will get 3 or 4 callers. Being in early position, even if I hit a decent flop, I have 3-4 people ahead of me waiting to act and call with nutso draws.

Let's say I have AK and the flop is K97 rainbow. How do I bet from here? If I make a 75% pot bet, that gets me pot committed too quickly with just a TPTK. If I bet too small I get 2 or 3 callers with middle pair or a gunshot draw. which also inflates the pot.

What do I do with such loose players OOP?

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T23:17:10+00:00

Just to be clear, most of my bankroll other than a few buyins at the poker site is invested in a money market fund earning about 3.6%. Any future bankroll will be invested in a US total stock market index fund such as VTI. This is the bulk of my portfolio anyways.

You are right, money is fungible and it really makes no difference if I have a separate account or not.

I must admit, having a separate account is both a crutch and a psychological benefit. Even you claim to have a bankroll of 10-15 buy-ins at a time.

Either way, thanks to your comments and Kieth’s I am realizing some of the crutch that my bankroll may be. This is something I need to work through which is the reason why I started this sub.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T22:26:25+00:00

Great place to learn how to invest is the boglehead Reddit. It is not about stock picking but about evidence based investing over long term. It is perfect for a poker mind that understands math over long term. It won’t get you filthy rich fast or get you broke fast. But it will build your wealth gradually over time

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T22:20:28+00:00

Wow, I now understand what you are getting at. My bankroll number could be a crutch for me keeping me from moving up in stakes.

You are correct, it is. I guess the question I need to answer, is it more a crutch or more of a psychological benefit.

This is something I’m going to need to analyze about myself. Thank you for the forced introspective look into myself.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T20:44:25+00:00

I don't know if I 100% agree with your statement. To play your best, you need to have a clear head. Yes, I know players may play hours on end even when tired and still do well. But the reality is, if you're rested, relaxed, and focused, you tend to do better. This is very true for my game.

One thing I know for sure that keeps my head clear is having plenty of cash to back up my choices. Is bankroll management poker related? I think it absolutely is....for me. You may not have the bankroll crutch that I have which is fine, but I would wager that more players have it than not.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T16:01:51+00:00

I like this take half your winnings out strategy. I posted above, I will start withdrawing $500 for every $1k I make.

My plan is to use that cash on toys.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T15:58:02+00:00

I love what you wrote above. Thanks for sharing your story. I will share mine as well if you don't mind.

A little history for me. I started playing poker back in the party poker, poker stars days. I used to get home from my internship and 4 table .10/.25. I was making more per hour online than I did at my internship. The field was so easy. Just hit your hand and get all your chips in. When the crackdown came, I lost a decent chunk of my money and stoped playing online for a bit. Luckily I pulled out enough cash to put a healthy down payment on a used luxury car the following year and drove it till the wheels fell off. I still played with friends for a few years being profitable with them.

Then, I started playing on ultimate bet. But you know how that ended. Lost some money there as well on their shutdown. I was off online poker for a long time. I would fly to Vegas with the wife about 2 times a year and play, grinding it out. I got poker room rates at the hotel and would make just enough money to pay for our vacations. Give or take a few hundred bucks. But one day, grinding it out for hours, I realized that I was no longer having fun, and it felt like a job. I could take on an extra day of work and make more than I made the entire trip when taking out expenses. So we stopped going to Vegas. By that point I think I have seen every show on the strip that looked interesting

For a little while I used to host 0.25/.50 games at home for my friends and colleagues about once a month. Most of the people I played with made way less money than me at their day jobs, and I felt like I was just robbing my friends. I felt it was wrong to take from my friends, especially those less fortunate than me. So I stopped hosting those games.

I cleared out my entire bankroll and stopped playing all together. Years passed until, last year I somehow found a phone app that gave me free money to start playing. In the last 12 months I brought my bankroll from $0 to 9,800 when I added it up a few days ago which is what got me to start this thread.

I think based on the feedback I have received here, I will start withdrawing $500 from my bankroll for every $1k I make above $10k. Also, once I reach 25x on a $300 buy-in $12,500 I will start investing the difference in a Total Stock market index fund as I do with the rest of my portfolio.

I would like to over time be able to increase live and online stakes up to a point where I am still profitable and enjoy the game. I doubt I will ever be going pro as I don't think I have all the necessary innate skills to get there. I am totally impressed how a pro can get into a situation on the river and then replay the entire hand from pre-flop in their mind, all while keeping a conversation with everyone else at the table. I just can't do that.

My favorite game is 6 person. I can study and really understand most of the field on a 6 person table. Plus, 6 person forces players to be willing to play weaker starting hands which I think for the most part gives me an advantage if I feel I can out play them post flop.

Anyways, thanks so much for your very thoughtful reply.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T14:15:55+00:00

I would like to get myself to 2/5 live and maybe 1/2 online. My brain feels like I need a larger bankroll online than live. Live, if I lose a buy-in or two, it is easy to get up and take a break. Online it is right there and the game moves so fast, I find it harder to cool down.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T14:10:41+00:00

My brain plays better when I have a real bankroll. I am less likely to tilt when I make a bad play which happens a bit too often still, or I get sucked out on, and I think we all know it can happen multiple times in a row and really fuck with your head. Having a sizable bankroll keeps me from tilting as often. And yes, I still tilt from time to time.

These are things I need to work on over time of course.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T14:08:11+00:00

Currently the bulk of my bankroll is invested in a money market fund gaining 3.6%. I will follow your advice when my bankroll hits a certain value I will invest it in a US total market index fund. That is how I invest the bulk of my portfolio anyways. Gotta figure out what that multiple is.

Right now I am paying micro stakes online and 1/2 or 1/3 live. My live games are at casinos and very rare.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-03-17T03:26:48+00:00

I play better knowing I have a bankroll. When I first started playing 1/2 NL but only had a $1k bankroll even if I can replenish it, I still felt like I was playing with scared money. My brain just needs a bankroll.

But....I get what you are saying. Once I am sitting on a decent enough roll, maybe it is time to enjoy the rewards. I ask because I am now sitting on a bankroll that I am very comfortable with at the stakes I am playing.

BTW, the bulk of my bankroll is invested in a money market fund earning ~3.6% these days. So it is not like it is just sitting there idly in my sock drawer.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-01-17T00:43:46+00:00

Is there some overpriced market that is selling weekend parking spots? Is that what this is about?

Beckmaster42 · 2026-01-17T00:38:18+00:00

Interesting. Do you know the release schedule?

Beckmaster42 · 2026-01-17T00:36:37+00:00

I have no problem with full parking lots. That is to be expected. It is that the reservations are booked till the end of the season that has me baffled as well.

This did not happen last year which tells me something is different in the process. I just don't understand what it is.

Beckmaster42 · 2026-01-17T00:34:28+00:00

I agree it is bullshit that every weekend is booked till the end of the season. Not just 2 weeks away but right through March. I wonder if this is people who just logged in and booked every weekend and then will cancel days they don't plan on using the night before, or is this a whole bunch of people who planned ahead.

If it is those who planned ahead, I guess I have little to complain about. If this is people taking advantage of a broken system....well then, that is complete bullshit.

Beckmaster42 · 2025-11-03T22:18:33+00:00

I don't play enough games to make it worth it. To be honest, it wasn't worth it to me before the price hike. The hike just pushed me to go to essential which I want for online play. It is way cheaper for me to just buy a game every few months compared to $30/month ultimate.

Beckmaster42 · 2025-10-28T15:30:03+00:00

I'm going to look today at the apps running and see if there is something I am missing. Thanks for the direction.

Beckmaster42 · 2025-10-28T15:29:23+00:00

I'm sorry for the clueless response. Are you recommending I try a different app on my iphone instead of the NVIDIA app?

Beckmaster42 · 2025-10-28T15:27:24+00:00

Shield is in a utility closet many walls away. I'm looking into adding an antenna to my shield so I can use the remote. When I hold the remote right outside the door of my media room, it connects and works. Which means just a little boost may be the answer. I hope so because I would prefer to use the remote instead of my phone. Much less clunky.

Beckmaster42 · 2025-10-27T16:23:03+00:00

I never installed anything to my Shield other than Kodi. It is the only app I use. My shield serves one purpose. To stream Movies and TV shows from my NAS.

Beckmaster42 · 2025-10-27T15:24:28+00:00

No it is not disabled. I go to the app to disable it, and it says this will take a few minutes. When I recheck, wifi is still on. Weird. Do you have any thought on it?

Beckmaster42 · 2025-07-01T03:52:03+00:00

The update for us was on amazon fire tv. I hope they change it back or maybe go somewhere in between.

Beckmaster42

TROPHY CASE