DeathDonkey is in the well

[aK13]

Hey DD --

So I troll the High Stakes forums, and a really common theme there is "making big folds on the river for one bet" -- i.e. 4bet/fold to a 5bet with baby flushes, 1 card straights, 2pair, etc. and frequently a lot of posters argue both ways on the end (whether to call or fold to the 5)

What's your standard line against folding on the end HU in big pots? Or do you typically just get a "gut feeling/instinct"? Do you really feel like learning how to make these types of folds end up affecting winrates much?

[DeathDonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey DD --

So I troll the High Stakes forums, and a really common theme there is "making big folds on the river for one bet" -- i.e. 4bet/fold to a 5bet with baby flushes, 1 card straights, 2pair, etc. and frequently a lot of posters argue both ways on the end (whether to call or fold to the 5)

What's your standard line against folding on the end HU in big pots? Or do you typically just get a "gut feeling/instinct"? Do you really feel like learning how to make these types of folds end up affecting winrates much?

[/ QUOTE ]

In tough games, the ability to save a big bet can be significant. There are times when you might be getting 20:1 pot odds but in reality you are 99:1 to have the best hand and that's only because the guy might misread his hand 1/100 times. This is more obvious in live poker, where there are plenty of players that when they raise the river or something, they have one exact hand, or the nuts, or you can just be certain you are beat. I tend to not take lines that result in like 3 betting and folding to a 4 bet for instance, because its bad for your image, and if your opponents do start realizing they can make a play like that your going to be in for it.

The reason a lot of posts in high stakes focus on that type of stuff is, the rest of the hand everyone knows how to play, and they are hoping to get that extra edge by making the best decision on the end in a tough situation. Often it doesn't matter too much either way, but what else are they going to ask about when they are already a solid player?

-DeathDonkey