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To fold or not to fold?
- 6-9-2008
The eternal dilemma in poker, the above question
pretty much sums up the essence of the game. As you know, poker is a betting
game above all, and betting is all about knowing when to fold and when not to.
Starting hand selection has a lot to do with pre-flop action. I know you're going to tell me that poker is mainly a post flop game, but in certain situations (like in short handed games, or poker tournaments) there's a lot of preflop action going on. It'd be a darn shame to be sidelined for all that, for the simple reason that you know nothing about hand selection.
The actual decision to enter the pot or not should be made based on two factors: table position and starting hand. If you fail to take one of these factors into consideration when faced with this problem, you're not doing something right.
Being an advocate of the idea that in poker, any two cards can eventually win, I found it difficult to admit that proper starting-hand selection has indeed a huge word to say in whether you'll be a winner or not. But it does and I hereby officially admit it.
There are 169 possible two-card combinations in poker and out of all those only about 80 are playable. This doesn't mean, of course, that you'll never win if you decide to play any of the remaining 89, it merely means that mathematically only those 80 are winners.
Studying starting hand-lists is useful. (Wow that was tough to admit). These lists usually consider different hand-combinations in regards to the position they're being played from. Besides position and the hand itself, some charts also take the number of opponents you're going up against, into account. (It makes sense too if you consider how the value of starting hands goes down in a short handed game)
Having decided whether to enter the pot or not preflop, the next big decision you'll be faced with is post-flop play. Online poker is basically a post flop game, so I reckon the brunt of the problem is only just beginning here.
You need to know that after the flop, your final hand is 71% decided. That will help you make a good decision, in the sense that if the flop completely misses you, you should most likely fold. That sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? The problem is that when something sounds really simple, in poker it's usually complicated as hell.
If you had to deal with 169 combinations on your starting hand, there are now thousands of 5-card combinations you need to consider post-flop. For beginners it is recommended that they simply check if they have an open ended straight or a four card flush at this stage. Sometimes a high pair will also do, or trips. If you have anything less than that, you may want to seriously consider folding. For advanced players, more factors come into play here. They can take a weaker hand down the stretch and win. For them it's all about the betting.
Board texture is another important factor to consider. Let's see the following example. Let's consider player A has trips on the flop. He gets called by 6 other players around the table and the river card forms a four-card flush on the table. What do you do?
It is enough for only one of these six guys to have a single card of matching suit with the four on the board to have your trips beat. How do you like those odds? In fact, the above situation is not only a bad spot to be in, it's one of the worst in poker. It's what some people call the "perfect hand" situation.
You have trips which would be pretty damn strong under different circumstances, but here all they'll do is make you commit on something you'll never get a swing at. It is "perfect" for your opponent to have you acting like that and stuff the pot full for him.
This is exactly why you need to learn to read the board in order to be able to make positive EV decisions after the flop.
Advanced players will also have reads on their opponents. For these guys whether to fold or not is a much more complex question then a rookie would ever think. They even consider the impact of poker rake and rakeback in every single decision they make.
In conclusion: knowing when to fold and when not to, is something that comes from an all-around poker knowledge. Yes, charts are helpful, yes there are certain skills you will use to make your decision easier but all in all, if you know when to fold most of the time, you can consider yourself a complete and winning poker player.
Starting hand selection has a lot to do with pre-flop action. I know you're going to tell me that poker is mainly a post flop game, but in certain situations (like in short handed games, or poker tournaments) there's a lot of preflop action going on. It'd be a darn shame to be sidelined for all that, for the simple reason that you know nothing about hand selection.
The actual decision to enter the pot or not should be made based on two factors: table position and starting hand. If you fail to take one of these factors into consideration when faced with this problem, you're not doing something right.
Being an advocate of the idea that in poker, any two cards can eventually win, I found it difficult to admit that proper starting-hand selection has indeed a huge word to say in whether you'll be a winner or not. But it does and I hereby officially admit it.
There are 169 possible two-card combinations in poker and out of all those only about 80 are playable. This doesn't mean, of course, that you'll never win if you decide to play any of the remaining 89, it merely means that mathematically only those 80 are winners.
Studying starting hand-lists is useful. (Wow that was tough to admit). These lists usually consider different hand-combinations in regards to the position they're being played from. Besides position and the hand itself, some charts also take the number of opponents you're going up against, into account. (It makes sense too if you consider how the value of starting hands goes down in a short handed game)
Having decided whether to enter the pot or not preflop, the next big decision you'll be faced with is post-flop play. Online poker is basically a post flop game, so I reckon the brunt of the problem is only just beginning here.
You need to know that after the flop, your final hand is 71% decided. That will help you make a good decision, in the sense that if the flop completely misses you, you should most likely fold. That sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? The problem is that when something sounds really simple, in poker it's usually complicated as hell.
If you had to deal with 169 combinations on your starting hand, there are now thousands of 5-card combinations you need to consider post-flop. For beginners it is recommended that they simply check if they have an open ended straight or a four card flush at this stage. Sometimes a high pair will also do, or trips. If you have anything less than that, you may want to seriously consider folding. For advanced players, more factors come into play here. They can take a weaker hand down the stretch and win. For them it's all about the betting.
Board texture is another important factor to consider. Let's see the following example. Let's consider player A has trips on the flop. He gets called by 6 other players around the table and the river card forms a four-card flush on the table. What do you do?
It is enough for only one of these six guys to have a single card of matching suit with the four on the board to have your trips beat. How do you like those odds? In fact, the above situation is not only a bad spot to be in, it's one of the worst in poker. It's what some people call the "perfect hand" situation.
You have trips which would be pretty damn strong under different circumstances, but here all they'll do is make you commit on something you'll never get a swing at. It is "perfect" for your opponent to have you acting like that and stuff the pot full for him.
This is exactly why you need to learn to read the board in order to be able to make positive EV decisions after the flop.
Advanced players will also have reads on their opponents. For these guys whether to fold or not is a much more complex question then a rookie would ever think. They even consider the impact of poker rake and rakeback in every single decision they make.
In conclusion: knowing when to fold and when not to, is something that comes from an all-around poker knowledge. Yes, charts are helpful, yes there are certain skills you will use to make your decision easier but all in all, if you know when to fold most of the time, you can consider yourself a complete and winning poker player.