The Gambler says: Know when to fold ‘em.

Newer poker players, or simply those who may not be incredibly experienced, often make a common mistake.  Even very experienced cardsharks are prone to this mistake, if they are not playing realistically.

Play every single hand is not going to intimidate the people with whom you play.  It is not going to impress them, either.  It will make most of them sit up and take notice, but trust, that’s going to be to your detriment.  It will be to the detriment of your wallet as well.

Playing every hand is a reckless strategy.  All it’s going to do is allow other players to hone in on your weak spot.  Knowing that you never fold will give them the incentive and the opportunity to lure you into crazy bets which you cannot hope to win.

It pays to fold.  Naturally, doing it all the time creates problems of its own.  You don’t have to go overboard in either direction, you just have to be unpredictable.  Fold bad hands, feel free to fold the occasional medium hand, but only on occasion.  And, of course, you can bluff when you like.  Basically, just be sure to moderate in both directions.

Tags: folding, poker tips

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