Been going through all the usual poker tips for newer players lately and heaps of it is honestly just fluffy nonsense. Stuff like “trust your instincts” and “mix it up” sounds nice until you sit down, punt chips around, and realise you had no clue why you clicked call in the first place.
The advice I actually rate is way more boring. Play fewer hands. Stop limping into every pot because the cards look kinda pretty. Fold top pair when the action gets way too spicy and you know old mate in the micros only wakes up with the goods. Position matters more than beginners get told as well. Button feels like cheating once you finally get why acting last is such a big deal.
Biggest one for me though: stop trying to be clever too early. Bluffing just because you saw someone do it on YouTube is how you torch a bankroll in an arvo. Same with slow playing monsters every second hand... sounds sexy, usually just costs value. The simple stuff works way better than the flashy stuff, especially when everyone at low stakes is making weird calls anyway.
I also reckon bankroll chat gets ignored way too much by new players. Doesn’t matter how “solid” your game is if you keep sitting in games that can clean you out in one bad session. That lesson cost me a few buy-ins before it finally sank in.
Curious what advice actually clicked for you lot when you were starting out. Not the textbook stuff people repeat, the bit that made you go ahh right, that’s why I keep getting stacked.