Jan 10 2009
Know When To Fold’em in Hold’em
Country singer Kenny Rogers gives some of the best poker advice ever in his song The Gambler from the movie of the same name. You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run…
Now ev’ry gambler knows the secret to survivin’
Is knowin’ what to throw away and what to keep.
Folding or laying down your hand is often the most profitable move you can make. Folding occurs when you withdraw from the hand. You decide to throw your cards into the muck.
Now this is going to seem like a strange statement, but Mike “The Mad Genius” Caro, author of Caro’s Book of Poker Tells, among other tomes, often says that “the object of poker isn’t to win pots.” Calling and raising all the time is the surest way to lose all of your money.
Basic strategy tells you to see the flop less than 50% of the time. Good players often fold 75% of the time pre-flop. Fact is - you should be used to folding. You do it quite a bit. Every time you decide to come into a hand that doesn’t automatically mean you’ll win that hand or see it through ‘til the end. Although you’re not a poker math wizard (at least not until the next section), you’ve got to realize that you fold your hand at some point in the hand a whole lot more than you play it down to the showdown.
One of the biggest mistakes that new and inexperienced No-Limit Texas Holdem players make is that they don’t fold enough. They play too many starting hands or stay in the hand way too long.
Here are few situations where folding is the best play:
- You have a good hand, but not the best hand. You’re pretty sure that one of your opponents has the best hand.
- You had a monster before the flop such as an Ah,Kh. However, the flop comes 3d,2c,3s. The player in the big blind raises the hand big. He’s a rock. Your great hand pre-flop is not so good anymore.
- You have a huge draw. There is only one card to come. There is a huge bet on the board and you think you’re beat.
Basically, it’s profitable to fold as soon as you figure out that you’re beat.
