‘They were suited!’ Way too much emphasis is placed on suited hole cards. Consider this: A-Q against 10-10 is a 43.1 percent underdog whereas A-Q against 10 -10 has only a 2.6 percent better chance of prevailing. A lot of players seem to think the added edge of suited cards is something like 20 percent. When I see the likes of Q-4 suited played I think of the old proverb of tipping manure from a rocking horse.

Never fall in love with a hand

Forget the time you won a big pot with a certain starting hand – such foolhardy superstition is absolutely guaranteed to cost you a lot of chips and even competitions in the long run. If that’s your style stick to three-card brag.

Any Ace

The classic novice mistake is to play any hand featuring an Ace. Next time you hold A-5, A-6, A-7 and the like, stop to consider what the only people who will contest a raise will be holding. It’s simple: those that have an Ace with a better kicker then yours and those holding a pocket pair invariably higher than your side card (or kicker). In either of these scenarios you’re a huge underdog and capable of slaughtering yourself if an Ace comes on the fl op. If it doesn’t you’ll be reduced to making a bluff in order to win the pot and the probability of that succeeding is not good.