Beware Beginner’s Luck
Online poker games draw both experienced players and newcomers to the casino. And anyone who has played poker for any length of time has witnessed the ‘beginners luck’ phenomenon. An online poker player sits down who is unfamiliar with the rules and protocols, and perhaps is even unsure of hand rankings. Being nave, that player makes a lot of calls, and bets out with marginal hands. But sure enough, the poker gods smile on the new believer, and the amateur wins over and over again.
It is frustrating to seasoned poker players, who are busy calculating outs and odds, and trying to pick up tells, when the newcomer is just blundering in with good luck. There is a flip side to beginners luck though. After winning a few pots through sheer serendipity, the inexperienced player starts believing everything well continue to go well. Their confidence builds, they make more bets, and soon, reality kicks in and they start losing. If not during their first time, then the next time they play.
Is there really such a thing as beginner’s luck? Yes, it happens. If it didn’t, poker rooms would not continue to draw newcomers to the table. Nor would race tracks and other gambling venues have any customers. The exuberant rush that beginner’s luck bestows keeps players coming back, and when they do, they learn to hone their skills and game.
