6. Not protecting your cards
It is up to the players to protect their cards at all times. Place your hands or a chip on top of your cards. If another player's cards mix with yours when they throw in their cards, your hand will be declared dead. You will see some players bring a special weight or "Lucky Charm" to place over their pocket cards. It doesn't matter what you use as long as it is not so large as to interfere with the play of the game. Make sure to protect your cards until the pot is pushed to you. I once had the winning hand and the dealer pushed the pot to another player and swept my cards into the muck at the same time. I yelled that I had the winning hand. The floor was called and it was ruled that since my cards were in the discard pile I was not entitled to the pot.
7. Throwing a winning hand into the muck (discards)
The cards speak for themselves. Don't immediately throw in your cards if someone calls out a better hand. The dealer will declare the winner of the hand. Sometimes you may have a better hand than you thought you had. There is also the possibility that the player calling his winning hand has misread his own hand. Let the dealer declare the winner before mucking (throwing way) your hand.
8. Losing control of your emotions
Keep your emotions in check. The table is not the place for foul language or temper tantrums. It will not be tolerated. Besides it makes you look foolish. Veteran players as well as newcomers make this mistake. It is one that should not be made by anyone!
9. Playing too many hands
Many players crave the action. They feel that if they are not involved in the hand they aren't really playing the game. Successful players play fewer hands. It takes patience and discipline to wait until you have a proper starting hand. If you can practice these traits, you will be on your way to becoming a winning player.
10. Playing too long
Playing winning poker takes concentration. You must be aware of the game and people around you. If you play too long, you may get tired or even bored. This can cause you to make mistakes or play marginal hands. If you start to get tired leave the game. When I started playing, I would set time limits for each session. This helped to keep me focused and also helped me learn discipline by sticking to the limits I had set for myself.
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