How One Simple Adjustment Can Turn Losing Poker Players Into Winners

25 Aug 2025

Intermediate

This material is for medium-skilled players

Almost every time a losing player asks me to help fix their game, I spot one major leak that’s torching their bankroll like a flamethrower to a five-dollar bill. And here’s the crazy part — even winning players are leaving money on the table because of it.

I know from experience: this league cost me thousands in my early days. But the good news is that you can fix this problem really easily. Today, you’ll learn exactly how to do it so that you start stacking more chips instead of moving them to your opponents.

Here’s a common hand played by a losing player wondering why they can’t beat the fish around them. Let’s look at the example: The hijack raises to $15, the cutoff calls, the button calls, and our hero holds   in the big blind. He just calls.

The flop comes    rainbow. The original raiser bets $30, the cutoff folds, the button calls, and our hero calls as well. The turn is a . The action checks through. The river is an . The original raiser bets $100, the button folds, and our hero reluctantly folds. 

The original raiser proudly shows  . He rivered the top pair and went for value, while our hero felt cheated by the poker gods — he had the best hand on the flop and turn, only to get sucked out on the river.

Here’s where most players get it wrong: the reason he’s losing isn’t because he got unlucky on the river. It’s the preflop decision that destroyed his bankroll. He basically volunteered for this nightmare.

Poker is a very complicated game, so why make it even more complicated? And preflop is the easiest part of it. So getting your preflop decisions right sets you up for profit. Get them wrong, and you’ll end up in difficult spots where you feel overwhelmed, annoyed, and disappointed.

Now let’s look at the most common preflop mistakes I see even decent players make in poker — and how to eliminate them with a simple framework.

Take the hand from earlier, where our hero called with   offsuit in the big blind after a raise to $15 and two calls. The first mistake? Calling in a multiway pot with a hand that doesn’t play well in that context. Sure, flopping something like K-J-9 is nice, but if you hit top pair or middle pair, you constantly worry about someone having a better pair, a set, two pair, or even a straight or flush.

In multiway pots, you ideally want hands that can make the nuts. These include:

• Pocket pairs — can hit sets and stack calling stations;
• Suited aces — can make the nut flush.

If you’re confident, suited connectors or suited kings are playable, but if you’re unsure, fold them. Many players will get into trouble with these hands too often.

The second mistake? Paying too much for the privilege of seeing a flop. If the original raiser had opened to $4, as GTO charts suggest, calling with queen-ten offsuit wouldn’t be nearly as risky. But in real games, raises are often bloated. That doesn’t mean you call wider just to play more hands.

Think of it like ordering a $100 steak when you usually pay $20 — you don’t buy more; you buy better. Same in poker: tighten up when the price of admission goes up. If someone raises to $15, adjust by playing fewer hands, not more.

This adjustment — tightening up when raises are bloated — is something almost every player should make in low-stakes live or online games. If you only play aces and kings, great — skip ahead. For everyone else, this is a simple but crucial change that will stop you from bleeding chips unnecessarily.

The largest mistake players make in these games is simple: They play too many hands. They call too much, limp too much, and raise too much. Even if you have an edge, playing more hands isn’t always profitable.

Imagine you play a tight style and make $10 per hour. What most players don’t notice is that you’re simultaneously paying around $10 per hour in rake. Without rake, your win rate would actually be $20 per hour.

You still get dealt the same number of premium hands. To hit this higher target, you’d have to win money with weaker hands — like king-nine offsuit, ace-six suited, or ace-seven offsuit. If your goal is to increase profit beyond $10 per hour after rake, you’ll need to make even more with junk hands.

Folding isn’t boring — losing is. If you want adrenaline, go skydiving. If you want profit, fold marginal hands and let the fish pay your rent.

For your open raises, stick to GTO ranges — for example, free ranges from GTO Wizard. But make one small adjustment:

• Early position: Raise more pocket pairs than GTO suggests and reduce hands like ace-ten offsuit or king-queen offsuit. Why? You’re more likely to go multiway on the flop. Small pocket pairs can hit sets, while ace-ten offsuit may flop top pair but lose to stronger hands like ace-queen or two pair;
• Post-raise calls: This is where careful selection becomes critical — knowing which hands to call with will separate winners from breakeven players.

Most of the time, you don’t want to call at all. One of the biggest breakthroughs in my win rate came when I stopped calling bets randomly with hands like ace-jack, ten-nine suited, or king-queen offsuit.

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When to Deviate from 3-Bet or Fold

Now, I follow a strict 3-bet or fold strategy in every position — except for the big blind. Once again, there are two exceptions to this rule:

• Late position against weak, passive blinds: You want them in the pot, so calling is better;
• Anticipating a multiway pot with strong multiway hands: Hands like pocket pairs or suited aces can justify a call when more players are likely to see the flop.

Other than these scenarios, the strategy is simple: 3-bet or fold. Adopting this approach means you need a solid strategy for playing 3-bet pots. Understanding how to navigate these spots is critical because these hands will be the foundation of your consistent win rate.

The key to consistently beating low-stakes games is preflop discipline. Once you tighten your range and stop calling randomly, your decisions on the flop, turn, and river become much simpler. Let’s break down a practical framework:

1. Position Determines Your Range

Position is everything in poker. The later your position, the wider your opening range can be. Early position? Stick to premium hands and small pocket pairs. Late position? You can add suited connectors, suited aces, and broadway hands:

• Early position: Aces, kings, queens, pocket pairs.
• Middle position: Add hands like suited connectors and suited broadway cards.
• Late position: Broaden further with suited one-gappers, weaker aces, and occasional suited kings.

Never call a raise out of position with hands that can’t make the nuts. Multiway hands like small suited connectors lose value out of position.

2. The Power of Folding

Folding is not a sign of weakness — it’s the cornerstone of winning. Every hand you fold correctly saves you chips that would otherwise bleed in tricky spots. Think of every fold as profit protection:

• Avoid calling raises just to “see a flop”;
• Avoid marginal hands in multiway pots unless you can make the nuts.

Pro tip: Focus on making disciplined folds in spots where the risk outweighs the potential reward.

3. How to Approach 3-Bet Pots

Once you adopt a 3-bet or fold strategy, you’ll encounter more 3-bet pots. Here’s how to handle them effectively:

• Assess your position and stack size: 3-bet more aggressively in late position and when stacks are deep enough to maximize value.
• Know your opponent: Target players who call too loosely or play passively post-flop.
• Hand selection matters: Premium hands like aces, kings, queens, and ace-king suited should dominate your 3-bet range. Suited connectors or pocket pairs are for multiway scenarios.

Always enter the flop with a clear plan: continuation bet when favorable, check/fold if you’re out of position and miss the board.

4. Understanding Rake and Win Rate

Many players overlook how rake impacts profitability. Playing more hands doesn’t automatically increase your earnings. In fact, it often increases rake, forcing you to win more with weaker hands — a risky proposition:

• Play tight to reduce unnecessary rake exposure.
• Expand your range only when confident in your post-flop skill.
• Focus on hands that can make the nuts and generate high value.

Rule of thumb: The tighter your range, the easier your decisions, and the higher your long-term win rate after rake.

5. Multiway Pot Considerations

Multiway pots are a double-edged sword. They offer the potential for big wins but also multiply your risk:

• Prefer hands that can hit nut straights, nut flushes, or sets.
• Avoid hands that make the top pair but are vulnerable to overpairs or two pairs.
• Pocket pairs, suited aces, and suited connectors in late position are ideal.

6. Mental Game and Discipline

Finally, remember: poker is a long-term game. Discipline, patience, and avoiding emotional calls are just as important as technical skill:

• Don’t chase losses or try to force action.
• Stick to your preflop framework — your edge comes from disciplined play.
• Focus on making fewer mistakes, not more hero calls.

Understanding which hands to play in each position is the foundation of winning at low-stakes live poker. Playing too many hands is the number one leak — folding is your friend.

6-Max Table

9-Max Table

The biggest mistake low-stakes players make? They play too many hands, overpaying for flops they can’t dominate:

• Stop calling weak hands out of habit.
• Focus on hands that can hit the nuts or strong top pair.
• Multiway pots demand strong hands: pocket pairs, suited aces, and connectors.

Even tight players often bleed chips by calling with mediocre hands. Folding is profit protection — let the fish pay you instead.

Advanced Multiway Tactics

Multiway pots can be profitable if approached correctly:

• Choose hands that can hit the nuts: Pocket pairs, suited aces, suited connectors.
• Position matters more than usual: Out of position, avoid calling with top pair; the risk of getting outdrawn increases dramatically.
• Pot control is key: Don’t build large pots with marginal hands.
• Exploit weak players: Identify calling stations and over-aggressives; target them with strong hands that can stack them.

Postflop Planning

Your preflop discipline only pays off if you execute a strong postflop strategy:

• Dry boards: Continuation bet when you have top pair or better; fold marginal hands.
• Coordinated boards: Focus on nut hands and strong draws; semi-bluff when in position.
• Paired boards: Overpairs and sets dominate; fold marginal top pairs.
• Bluff selectively: Only bluff when your opponent is capable of folding; use blockers to increase success.

These tables and strategies give you structure, but real improvement comes from practical, guided coaching. Stop guessing — get personalized insights that will eliminate leaks and boost your win rate. Start dominating online and live games today at Getcoach.poker — learn exactly what hands to play, when to fold, and how to extract maximum value.