Re: The cost of mistakes
That's the essence of NL poker, I'm afraid. I've had great nights where I've played great poker for hours, and seen it all undone with one or two bad decisions and the worst time...
Three weeks ago I was in Vegas, playing $1/$2 NL, and doing great for most of the weekend. Despite playing some of the best live poker I'm capable of, one bad, sleep-deprived mis-step with TPGK vs. a opponent I was convinced was bluffing cost me 2/3 of my profit for the weekend...
In general, I've found that an ongoing education in NL holdem is about minimizing those big mistakes, or better yet, learning how to keep from putting yourself in the position where you're at risk at making that that kind of mistake in the first place.
No one plays mistake-free poker, but with experience, I think good, skilled players minimize their chances at making big mis-steps. A lot of good poker fundamentals, and a lot of 2+2 wisdom has helped me a lot in this regard -- being much more attentive to position, avoiding trap hands out of position, not getting carried away with overpairs or TPTK, not underestimating opponents, sizing bets well, reading hands and betting patterns more carefully... All these things add up over time and reduce your chances of making big, costly mistakes...
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