The poker brain is a double-edged sword. It’s smart enough to have you pulling off an epic triple-barrel bluff but equally likely to give you advice that will set your bankroll on fire. Thanks to the way we’re wired, poker is never just about the cards we’re dealt, but about the ability to analyze and assess the endless stream of thoughts that flood our minds in-game.

Over time, I’ve been able to identify a few such thoughts that, no matter how much my brain tried to convince me otherwise, have been nothing but a money pit, or should I say burial ground.

Here are the 3 most common poker thoughts that will do nothing but set your chips ablaze.

This would be a really intelligent spot for my opponent to bluff.

Let’s keep it honest, if your opponent was that intelligent, they probably wouldn’t be grinding 50nl. That’s no disrespect to low stake grinders, but without proof to the contrary, we have to assume players will conform to population tendencies, meaning that they’ll play like the average player. And so, by definition alone, an average player is unlikely to be pulling off a high level, read-your-soul type of bluff. To assume otherwise is to fall prey to fancy play syndrome. Meaning that until you get to limits where the norm is to be a highly intelligent poker player with skilled hand reading and balanced bluffing ranges, stop leveling yourself and just fold to that darn river raise.

I’ll just see a flop

One of the biggest traps for amateur poker players who watch televised high stakes cash games is the thought that seeing a lot of flops with speculative holdings is a harmless strategy. However, for most players at the low to mid stakes, that’s not only untrue but also a surefire way to punt off some stacks with vulnerable hands.

This is because, generally speaking, your online opponents are playing much tighter ranges today than they used to, both due to the ability to multi-table and to instantly get another hand via high-speed games such as Blitz poker. Meaning that playing a significantly weaker range against them is like trying to win a pillow fight against an opponent swinging a bag of rocks. Sure, you may get a couple of licks in before they connect, but once they do, you’re going to be the only one in real pain. So, until your results prove you can join the big boys on TV, stick to the basics preflop and let your postflop skills dictate the action.

I’ll just play until I get even

Perhaps the most infamous of poker’s famous last words, this thought has buried more bankrolls than Phil Ivey. Although chasing your losses will sometimes work as intended, it is usually indicative of tilt setting in, and will more often than not, lead to even greater losses.

Wise players know that on a long enough timeline, the hourly rate they earn at their chosen limits will stay relatively constant. Knowing that to be the case, the next time you feel like playing longer than optimal, ask yourself whether you would continue playing if you knew for a fact that you would only make that same baseline rate, which, it’s important to note, you could just as easily make any other time.

So, make this the golden rule: the moment I hear my mind telling me “just until I get even,” or any other poker thought that has historically proven to get me killed, I will immediately step away from the table, preserve my bankroll and live to fight another day.

Remember, sometimes the most intelligent thing we can do is recognize what a dumdum our mind can actually be.