Folding
Marcus Bateman
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Marcus Bateman /
19 December 2008 /
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Nearly all the money you will ever make from playing poker comes from folding.
Although this sounds ridiculous to a newcomer ('surely you make money in poker by betting and winning big pots?' Seems to be the usual thinking pattern), actually it is by folding most of your junk hands that you make any money at all playing.
This is simply due to the fact that not losing money when playing poker is just as important as winning it. By cutting out the hands that are - on the most part - consistently behind, you cut out a big leak, that if you played these hands would just cost you a great deal of money. This is also true for a skilled players ability to lay down big hands when the situation dictates late on in hands. They make a big profit over the long run, due to the fact that although they save money in the situation where they lay down a big hand, their opponent loses money when the shoe is on the other foot - over the long run this adds up to a great deal.
What allows winning player to consistently make money is their ability to understand the situations where they have to fold. The classic hallmark of a weak player is that they simply call too much and just can't fold hands that they should never be playing. Always remember that one of the most frustrating things a player can ever see is their opponent consistently making good laydowns - it can often tilt people just as hard as a few bad beats - and that depriving your opponent of pots is just as important as winning them yourself.
The bottom line is that although poker has a large element of situation based skill, the bottom line is that it is a game where you try to get into mathematically favourable situations and bet accordingly. This can only be achieved by playing the slim percentage of hands that either are, or have, a good chance of becoming mathematical favourites. Keep it tight, don't spew your money, and let your opponents inability to fold pay you off all day long.
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