The Art of Folding
Folding is essential in poker for one very simple reason: The money you don't lose is just as important as the money you win.
Most players see poker as a game of action - a world of big calls, well timed bluffs and constant aggression. However, arguably the biggest part of poker revolves around the simple fold button, and understanding just how important it is is crucial to getting your game up to scratch.
Folding is essential in poker for one very simple reason: The money you don't lose is just as important as the money you win. You simply cannot play every hand against opponents who are folding their junk hands - you lose so much all the times you enter the pot weak that even very poor opponents will tear you to pieces. However, you obviously have to play some hands to win at poker, so the game becomes an endless balancing act of working out just how many hands to play depending on the situation. Most players get this wrong, and for one simple reason.
The reason is to do with how dull folding is, and it is arguably this point which has made poker profitable for good players since the game was first played. Folding is boring. Everything about it is boring. Betting is fun, calling is fun; folding is a dull experience that leaves you wishing you could have seen what had happened or what your opponent held. As an obvious example, one of the central leaks of basically all weak players is their inability to resist seeing a flop, simply because it is much more exciting to focus on the possibility of an exciting future than it is to think about the cold reality of a dull present.
It is this dual combination that makes poker such a lethal game to weak players, as they are driven by their emotions and curiosity into making big mistakes in one of the largest areas of the game - a situation akin to a snooker player deciding the best way to win a money match is to hit every shot as hard as they can as it feels more exciting, something which is clearly a huge leak.
Just like in Formula One, at some point you have to use the brakes. Power is nothing without control, and the way we regulate our speed and future directions in poker is through folding. It is dull in the moment, but over time creates a much more exciting brand of game, as we continually put ourselves in better positions than those around us, which soon adds up to not only profit, but a much better sense of excitement and pride as we watch ourselves steadily get ahead of the field.
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