26 Mar 09 Folding a Hand: Not A Terrible Idea
How many times have you been sitting in a game and watched someone call numerous big bets all the way to the river, only to flip over some weak hand such as second pair when the board was full of big cards and/or flush/straight draws? The phrase “getting married to a hand” is quite accurate, as players that suffer from this tendency have trouble letting go of a average/drawing hand until death do you part. Strong poker playing is not just about when to call and when to raise, but sometimes more importantly, when to fold.
The good thing about folding is that it really isn’t too hard to figure out when you should do so. If you’re playing online, there are a ton of hand calculators that you can use simultaneously while in a game that will help you make the correct fold/call/raise decision in almost any situation. However, if using tools and knowing the math on your own isn’t your strong suit, you need to be able to identify the warnings signs of when you might be behind in a hand, as well as when its time to chase a draw or not.
Numerous factors can play into this decision. Flopping second pair against one opponent is somewhat strong, while flopping second pair against multiple opponent’s can be very dangerous. Normally the only way you can improve your hand at that point is to hit trips on the turn or river, and very rarely will the pot odds add up correctly to warrant doing so. Against even a single opponent there are still many things to consider, such as your opponents chip stack, position, what knowledge you have of his previous hands, etc. There are normally so many variables to consider in these situations that making the correct play can be very hard to deduce. If your opponent is first to act and he bets into you, most of the time you’ll need to lay it down and pick a better spot
Keep in mind that the goal in poker is to minimize losses and maximize profits. With a weak pair or drawing hand, you are not going to be able to get a lot of chips out of a opponent who’s hand you can beat, but you can give up a lot of chips trying to do so. Don’t get married to your hands, develop fold discipline and have the patience to put your money in at the right time as often as possible.
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