The fear of folding seems to be a problem with many players! We play with Bingo players that sometimes are extremely lucky, good for them but wait for the game to come to you and bingo within a couple hands you bust them and take their chips and all there nonsense playing is gone! Be patience and don’t fear folding a good hand, folding is a great part of the game!
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The most useful and important tool we have as players is that fold button.
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Oh I hate folding a good hand!!!
I don’t know how many times I have hit trips or a straight but it is obvious the other player hit a flush or full house and is betting you didn’t notice.
If the bet is not too large I will sometimes still see it to keep them honest and if they have a history of bluffing I may even call their big bet but most of the time that will cost you.
On the flip side I have done the same thing to other people and a good player will not go all in if they have a hid flush or straight or full house and will bet what they think the opponents will fall for.
Don’t settle for a tiny pot when you can draw them in for a little more IMO.
That’s the point of making a small-ish value bet when you have the nuts.
I don’t care if they are honest or not. I call or raise when I think i have the best hand. I’m not the morality police!
Well yeah, people go to the trouble of showing a bluff now and then so you will call their big bets in that situation. It pays to advertise!
Why are you breaking down my posts and trying to debate them?
You can post your own opinion without doing that.
Thanks.
Another interesting way to use your stats is to see how many hands you are folding and that can indicate if you are taking too much risk or not enough.
My stat: Hands folded 62%
Now when you also look at your Pot winning stats it will tell you where your strengths are and where you could improve your game.
Today’s stats: At showdown: 51% Without showdown: 49%
So based on that I am a moderate risk taker and I fold high risk hands and probably play out more hands than I should but my pot winnings show I also win many of those pots without a showdown so I am holding solid hands.
Now there is more to it than that and depends on betting strategy and whether that is tourney or ring play but if you see a major change in those stats and you are not winning as much or winning more then you can make changes or keep a strategy.
Maybe you need to fold more or take more risk depending on those stats.
Yes, I am a poker stats nerd lol!
Added a couple of hands just for floridajetski to reference:
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/430155148
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/430152535
people go thru the trouble of showing a bluff, well a good player will show their very good hands a lot and sometimes show a bluff now and then to throw the players off. the idea of showing a bluff once in awhile is to let them know u do win with great hands but u still bluff so it makes it much harder for other players to read u. the idea of showing a bluff once inawhile goes beyond that tho, it sets u up for raking in a nice pot the next time u know u have the winning hand and raise big, because some will think u are bluffing u can expect a call or 2 because they might think u are bluffing again so u are basically showing most all of ur good winning hands and showing a few bluffs to rake in larger pots the next great hands u have by raking in a player or 2 that would normally fold on that raise if they didnt know u bluffed at all.so advertising your bluffs pays off quite a bit if u know how and when to show them and how and when to bet them. a good time to bluff would be right after u show your 3 previous great winning hands. a great time to capitalize on larger pots with your great winning hands is the next few hands after u show a bluff. the whole idea is to throw your players off so they dont know which one you are betting on, a very powerful hand or a bluff when the time is right. The ol poker saying " if u dont get good cards than play your bad cards good " holds true in many ways.
By all means bluffs are critical to winning poker! When I’m on a good roll and taking a lot of pots the bluff on opponents at the table is a great tool, They seem to second guess the hand they hold and a little doubt wins a lot of chips!
I appolize and mean no harm! I thought we were just talking poker I won’t with you again! Sorry to offend you!
Oh I see the problem!
I was responding to SunPowerGuru above but hit the wrong reply and you thought it was to you.
I am sorry and I like your OP and responded to it above.
Still getting the hang of the forum 
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This is what I call “training the table.” If I am getting too much action, I might show several premium hands so they know to respect my raises. This sets up later bluffs. If everyone is folding to my raises, I might show a bluff to get more action later on.
If you open from UTG with 72o, bet or raise every street, get them to fold the river, then show the bluff, your expected range is “any 2 cards.” It’s hard to play someone who could have anything. Think Durrr or Phil Ivey or Gus Hanson.
Like many aspects of poker, the key is moderation. Most mistakes are frequency based… folding too much or not enough, raising too much or not enough, bluffing too much or not enough, and so on. How much is enough?
Well, that depends. Against some players, you should never bluff, for example. Against others, you can bluff more often. In multi-way pots, it’s a lot harder to find the right balance. There are a lot of variables, so it’s hard to quantify.
Folding is for suckers…when you fold you are forfeiting ANY chance of winning the hand…losers are looking for reasons to fold…winners are looking for reasons to call and raise…
Ya county i agree to a certain extent depending on how high the blinds are, stack size, where u are in the tourney and a few other variables, however like the saying goes, "there are people that make things happen, people that just watch things happen, and people that just wonder what happened "
Because this is a public forum and that’s the way public forums work. I’m not debating you, I’m trying to have a conversation. Each post builds upon the last, and thus lets us understand the point better.
For example, when you say you call, “to keep them honest,” what do you mean? Are you calling to gain information? Are you trying to alter the way they are playing? I don’t care what someone does, I care why they do what they do. What are you trying to accomplish?
John," It’s warm today."
Tony, “I like the color blue.”
Sun, “Turtles are so cool!”
These might all be valid opinions, but they hardly qualify as a conversation.
Forums aren’t a collection of soliloquies, each posted in isolation. I’m not picking on you, I mean no disrespect, I’m just trying to understand the points you made and, more importantly, why you play the way you play.
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You would care what someone does if they smacked you upside you head…
I always want to know why someone is smacking me upside my head.
Look forward to taking your chips county29
Often, I find that folding even when It’s hard to do will lead me to the Final Table of a tournament more times then not. I’m not saying fold every hand but play smart and more Importantly avoid the all in button unless you know for sure your hand cannot lose at showdown.
Everything in Poker is situational. From tournaments , the structure of the tournament and most importantly your opponents.
I keep notes on my opponents: Their hands (when shown) , betting patterns , bluffing range etc…
Folding is a tool just like betting , checking , calling and raising is.
Folding is a great tool that can get us out of bad situations but like all tools it must be used properly. If you under use folding you will generally be a loose player who will often call or bluff more on the river and lose the hand. However if you over use folding you’ll generally be a tight player that everyone will fold too if you bet or raise because you are more likely to have a strong hand and by everyone else folding you will miss out on value from your strong hands.
There has to be an equal balance when folding. Every once and awhile bluff if your playing tight but have a decent hand to play. Just don’t get crazy and set your own personal betting limits while doing so. If your playing loose you should fold a few hands every once and a while that aren’t great. You cannot become predictable at the table, their has to be a balance of play.
Folding is a great, beneficial tool if used wisely.
-Marc
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I agree with you completely Folding is a weapon and when your in a showdown and leading a tournament your final competitors become frustrated and loose any edge they might have! Well said and I’m gonna keep my eye on you at the tables Marc, Gl and see you soon!
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Many have tried and many have failed…