There are a number of myths that have grown up about the necessary ingredients for success at poker game. A myth usually has a germ of truth to it, with a large degree of distortion. It sounds plausible, but a close examination will reveal that there is more falsehood than truth. The overall effect of these poker myths is to mislead people who are trying to improve their game. Here are my candidates for the four misleading myths that do the most damage to players' bankrolls—especially newbies:

You've got to advertise.

This gets misinterpreted into meaning that you need to bluff a lot so your good poker hands will make mucho money. My quarrel with this thinking is that the purpose of a bluff is to win the pot. It may not work, but there should be a reasonable chance of success. Those who bluff to advertise bluff too often and in situations where success is remote. A little bit of bluffing is enough to get you action on your good hands. Advertising is only a byproduct of bluffing, not the main purpose.