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.

--------------------------------------------------------

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.

[11ofhearts]

I constantly make these calls and not just with aces. i call them "calls of frustration" and they're one of my biggest problems. My question is how can i mentally prepare myself to make the correct fold when the time comes? i usually do know that folding is right but just call anyway

[Flip-Flop]

Frustration call, crying call, however you call it it is a bad call when you are sure that you are beat.
If you know that you should fold dump the hand because that is how you minimize your loses and by extension improve your overall poker results.
Making these laydowns is a huge part of that edge that Pros like to talk about so much.

How do you do it?

- Experience helps...as in..bad experience.
After losing money so many times you either learn to fold`em or you go busto...no other option really.

- Putting your ego on hold while you play poker helps too.
This is much easier said then done but again...there is no choice in the mater, you learn to do it or you are looking at a very painful poker career.

[Jamougha]

There's like 12 big bets in the pot and you want to fold aces?

[Goodnews]

[ QUOTE ]
There's like 12 big bets in the pot and you want to fold aces?

[/ QUOTE ]

given the reads you would still insist on seeing villain's hand?

[Jamougha]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There's like 12 big bets in the pot and you want to fold aces?

[/ QUOTE ]

given the reads you would still insist on seeing villain's hand?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I don't even play limit. I just thought you guys called down with J high in pots this big [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Seriously on the main question, the solution is to go away and play half a million hands and then see if it's still a problem. Once you're jaded enough you can fold anything.