What leak do you have in your game that you know is a leak but you refuse to correct it and why?
Academico
Rock Star
Bronze Level
My leak is being too creative with marginal hands from early position. I know it’s a mistake—playing hands like K♠10♣ or even 7♥6♥ UTG is almost always negative in the long run.
Still, I refuse to fully correct it because… it’s fun. There’s nothing like turning a small pot into a big one with a well-timed bluff or an improbable hand. Plus, it reminds me that even though I know the theory, poker is also a game of improvisation and adrenaline, and sometimes I enjoy those little “strategic violations” more than following the book to the letter.
Still, I refuse to fully correct it because… it’s fun. There’s nothing like turning a small pot into a big one with a well-timed bluff or an improbable hand. Plus, it reminds me that even though I know the theory, poker is also a game of improvisation and adrenaline, and sometimes I enjoy those little “strategic violations” more than following the book to the letter.
primrose
Visionary
Bronze Level
I feel sorry for other players and get shy about charging them the maximum amount. That's probably the biggest one.
The leak here is probably post-flop. You should limp weak Aces, and then you should usually fold them if an Ace comes and someone else is betting. Sometimes you can fold your weak top pair to the first bet.
You're looking to either make two pair, or win with Ace top pair where no one else seems eager to bet.
The leak here is probably post-flop. You should limp weak Aces, and then you should usually fold them if an Ace comes and someone else is betting. Sometimes you can fold your weak top pair to the first bet.
You're looking to either make two pair, or win with Ace top pair where no one else seems eager to bet.
IPlayToWin
Rock Star
Platinum Level
Slow play AA, but it's happening you losse against 8 6.
My leak as well it's to open any two hands from position, and folding If i'll got te raise.
As well limping any two hands to see the flop, and hitting the combinations.
My leak as well it's to open any two hands from position, and folding If i'll got te raise.
As well limping any two hands to see the flop, and hitting the combinations.
Rahul P Gopal
Rock Star
Platinum Level
One leak that I know I have, but honestly still refuse to correct, is calling too often with medium-strength hands—especially on the river when I know deep down my opponent probably has me beat. I catch myself justifying these calls by thinking, “I could be ahead, and it’s only a small part of my stack,” or sometimes I just get stubborn because I was ahead earlier in the hand and don’t want to be bluffed off my hand.
The reason I don’t fix this leak, even though I recognize it, is a mix of frustration and pride. After investing time and chips into a pot, I find it tough to walk away, even though I’ve seen countless times that folding it would save me valuable chips. It’s like after spending so long building up the pot, folding feels like admitting defeat or “wasting” all the work I put in. I know it’s bad logic, but emotionally, I can’t shake it.
I think a lot of us get trapped by that stubborn streak, thinking “this time it’ll work out” or “I’m due for a good call,” even though rationally we know we’re losing more than we’re winning in these spots. For me, it’s the most frustrating part of my game—being aware of the leak, but refusing to consistently fix it out of habit and a little bit of ego.
The reason I don’t fix this leak, even though I recognize it, is a mix of frustration and pride. After investing time and chips into a pot, I find it tough to walk away, even though I’ve seen countless times that folding it would save me valuable chips. It’s like after spending so long building up the pot, folding feels like admitting defeat or “wasting” all the work I put in. I know it’s bad logic, but emotionally, I can’t shake it.
I think a lot of us get trapped by that stubborn streak, thinking “this time it’ll work out” or “I’m due for a good call,” even though rationally we know we’re losing more than we’re winning in these spots. For me, it’s the most frustrating part of my game—being aware of the leak, but refusing to consistently fix it out of habit and a little bit of ego.
Nandabio81
Enthusiast
Platinum Level
Like low cards and try the sequence 78, J10.
Trying to form a sequence with low cards J10, 78, is a very risky game, it's not advisable to do it.
Trying to form a sequence with low cards J10, 78, is a very risky game, it's not advisable to do it.
I refuse to correct it because it's a move that hardly anyone believes and pays to see.
Marcwantstowin
Member of the T.S.T
Moderator
Please don't post consecutive posts. Make sure you only post once, especially in threads that generate a response from a Moderator or Administrator.
CNXRegie
Legend
Platinum Level
Here's mine: I keep forgetting when it’s bubble time. Instead of just holding tight, I somehow manage to bust right before the money.
The crazy part? I’m not even the short stack—sometimes we’re literally just one player away from ITM, and boom, I’m out. It’s happened more times than I’d like to admit.
Gotta patch that leak if I really want to step up my game. 😅🎲💵
The crazy part? I’m not even the short stack—sometimes we’re literally just one player away from ITM, and boom, I’m out. It’s happened more times than I’d like to admit.
Gotta patch that leak if I really want to step up my game. 😅🎲💵
ScoobyEdu
How about some fun games?
Platinum Level
One of the leaks I've been working hard on to follow GTO strategies is related to RFI and 3Bet Range.
I feel this because I believe that expanding the range and including the edges of the range are fine-tuned for specific situations, not based on what comes to mind.
This, for example, impacts my game because I end up playing in a few different ways.
In live tournaments, I play in a completely different way than online, even more correctly, I think.
In online tournaments, I believe that due to the number of screens at the same time, I end up making these mistakes in freerolls and end up giving more importance to the higher-value ones, playing with a higher EV.
I feel this because I believe that expanding the range and including the edges of the range are fine-tuned for specific situations, not based on what comes to mind.
This, for example, impacts my game because I end up playing in a few different ways.
In live tournaments, I play in a completely different way than online, even more correctly, I think.
In online tournaments, I believe that due to the number of screens at the same time, I end up making these mistakes in freerolls and end up giving more importance to the higher-value ones, playing with a higher EV.
Marcwantstowin
Member of the T.S.T
Moderator
@jardo5240
A leak is a bad play you make in your game.
This question asks for examples of "a bad play" you continually make, knowing that you were likely to lose, but still do it and why you do?
ScoobyEdu
How about some fun games?
Platinum Level
This desire is complicated because at the beginning of the game, with more chips, you might see a lot of flops, but over the course of the tournament, you've wasted a lot of chips with this style of play.
Especially when we consider that the percentage of times our hand or someone else makes a play on the flop is very small, so we end up seeing the flop to win the winning ticket... lol
ScoobyEdu
How about some fun games?
Platinum Level
One tip I'd give you is to study and learn about RFI and pre-FLOP.
I think this topic is one of the most frequently discussed on the internet these days.
There are also websites where you can simulate this to study, such as GTO Wizard.
Mig32
Rock Star
Platinum Level
For me, the biggest leak I know I have is sometimes calling too light when deep in a tournament, even though I’m aware I should just fold and wait for a better spot. I think it comes from not wanting to get bluffed or from being curious to “see” the hand, but in reality, it often costs me chips I should be protecting. I know it’s a leak, but I still struggle to fully cut it out because in the moment it feels like I might be missing an opportunity. It’s something I’m working on, but I admit it’s hard to let go.
ScoobyEdu
How about some fun games?
Platinum Level
Do you know when I started thinking more about this?
When I started using the trainer in GTO Wizzard, even in the free version, we can practice one round a day, if I'm not mistaken.
GTO Wizard
Beat the best and crush the rest with GTO Wizard. Unlock powerful GTO solutions, sharpen your skills with the trainer, and learn from top coaches to elevate your game.
But take advantage of the free version, which has a lot of cool stuff...
Mainly testing some situations to understand the ranges in each one... and the bet sizes.
Dzill_230
Legend
Platinum Level
I'll start off: I have a bad habit of limping in from the SB with weak Aces, especially when multiple villains have already limped in.
Of course, this is the worst possible position to play a weak Ace from post-flop against multiple players, and whenever I hit top pair it almost invariably seems like I'm dominated and losing chips. I haven't corrected it because I suck at many things and poker might as well be on the list too
What if we try not to limp from the small blind, but instead make a 3-bet and see how the limpers react? Depending on the stage of the tournament, this move works in half of the cases. I’ve personally tested it.
Dzill_230
Legend
Platinum Level
One of my failures, described in my profile line: building banks with hands that then cannot take back that bank and fold. How can you hold on when your hand has potential and there is no action from you (I'm talking about medium and late positions), you see a draw on the board and take the initiative into your own hands because playing check-call is not my style; and voluntarily and confidently, in most cases, you pass your chips to your opponent! They don’t even have time to say thank you!!