When you’re trying to perfect your poker game, it just makes sense to do anything that you can to study the things that you know you have to study in order to have an advantage over other players. One of the biggest conceptions that you will need to master is knowing exactly when to fold in poker. At first glance, it might seem like you shouldn’t ever fold, since folding is essentially giving up any right you might of had to win the pot on the table.
However, the concept of folding actually goes beyond that completely. There are times in poker where you will definitely want to make sure that you fold. You shouldn’t play every hand, because this assumes that every hand is something that you can actually use. This is actually not the case at all — there are some hands that you are dealt from the beginning that will only lead you to losing money if you aren’t careful. When you’re really trying to get the best moves possible, you must learn to be far more discerning in what hands you play.
From a social perspective, being selective with your cards also makes sense. You don’t want to look like a player that will just play anything, as this is something that can and will be used against you. It’s better to make sure that you really think about what hands you want to play so that players will see that you are someone that truly respects the finer points of the game. When you choose to play every hand regardless of its value, you’re essentially saying that you want to remain an amateur player forever. If you look at the best poker players in the world, they are all people that use their strategy skills to play very selectively.
Folding can be the best thing you can do, especially when you know that you have no business playing the hand in question. For example, if you have a 2-10 off suit as your hole cards, you will want to fold rather than play the hand. The two hole cards are not close enough to help you make a straight, and they are not of the same suit, which means that you will not be able to go for a flush. Your last hope would be a pair or three of a kind, but the odds here are not in your favor.
So, are there times to fold? Definitely. Should you fold all the time? No. Learn when to fold, and watch your winnings soar!