The tough (but right) fold: an excercise

[Goodnews]

Say you are playing live, sitting at a very soft table but things have not been turning out so well for you. You have been playing well but have been breaking even. Any weaker player would be in the red at this point. The following hand then occurs.

You are in the BB and look down at black aces. After all the limping and you make the obvious play of raising. Your image at the table has been 'a raiser' (meaning to say, the other players perceive you to be someone who likes to play big pots, but never winning them due to your virtue of folding at the appropiate time).

Everyone who has limped calls.

The flop comes all rags, but with a heart draw on the board.

Of course you check in hopes of protecting your overpair, and your play works, the CO bets and you raise. To your expectation, the biggest fish (UTG) on the table smooth calls, as does the CO.

The turn completes the heart flush. You bet and UTG raises, and CO folds. You have seen UTG not raise even with two pair, a draw, or even top pair. You put him on a set, which at this point you have a break even proposition to draw for your set. If hes got the flush, you are drawing dead. Your reads on UTG are very accurate. You conclude that this is yet another fold.

Except this time, you are thinking for a long time even though you already know what you SHOULD do.

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1. What should you do? What would you rather do?
1a. If 'what you should' and 'what you would' do are different, why?

2. What problems can you glean from your state of mind, given the answer in Q1(a)?
2b. What can you do to correct it? Would you take action on your own recommendations?

OP's Notes: I just wanted to put these questions out there to help the reader of these forums think about their state of mind and attitude. Often enough, we know what the right play is but act contrary to them. It is much easier cure this problem not by brute force of willpower, but by understanding the underlying cause is and making the appropriate adjustments.