The surprising power of folding in boosting your poker winnings
TIP OF THE DAY Be a bolder folder! You don’t hear many players talking about how often they fold because it doesn’t sound very positive as a conversation piece. In fact, knowing when to fold is part of being a cool player and every bit as important as knowing when to re-raise or “trap” an opponet. Even really aggressive players fold more often than they raise. The simple dynamics of poker dictate that fact. The easiest way to lose money at Texas Hold’em is to get attached to your cards when they are clearly not a nut hand or when your position at the table is not giving you enough information to go for a bluff. New players are excited by poker and obviously want to play not fold. Time and again you can watch poker virgins call when they should be folding. They are so interested in the recreational aspects of being involved in the game they make expensive decisions. What they should do is look at the number of players in the pot. Be aware of their playing order position. The golden rule needs to be if the hand you are holding doesn’t shout “play me” then be bold and fold!
THE THINKING MAN’S FOLDER Sometimes the play will require you to get a little deeper into the game before the decision to fold needs to be taken. You may have a pair of Queens as hole cards and be considering a raise from late position. If someone ahead of you steams in with a raise big enough to give you pause your decision time has arrived. Queens may have been just about good enough to consider a raise from late position if everyone in front of you had been limping in. However, with a confident raise ahead of you the smart money would be on a fold and not raising the ante on your Royalty.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE The same discipline applies however deep you have ploughed into a game. If it becomes clear to you by way of the betting patterns, even as late as the turn, that you are probably not onto the winning hand (especially if you’re sweating on the river alone to pull you through) FOLD! It’s never too late to save money.
ASSESS THE ODDS Arriving deep into a game based on sensible betting and finally finding yourself probably out-gunned is not the same as the undisciplined “chasing” of a lost cause. The odds may well be dictating you should fold after the turn following a perfectly sensible betting progression on your part. You continue to demonstrate common sense at that point…..by folding!
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ALL THE ACES poker column: Thursday, June 15, 2006: "Poker Players -- Be Bold and Fold!"
