Every poker player knows that exciting feeling when they’re in a big pot, and feel that they have a chance to take it down. Unfortunately, people in this situation also know that thought in the back of their head when they don’t have the nuts and feel they could be behind. And more times than not, this thought becomes a reality when one doesn’t have the best hand and is forced to lose lots of chips over their decision to stay in the pot.
Obviously, the only way to avoid having this happening is to fold your hand when you’ve got the feeling that you’re dominated by another player. But this is easier said than done because players often lose focus during games or fail to fold due to their lack of experience. That’s why you need to have the ability to know when you’re behind, and get out of the hand before you lose major chips.
Knowing when you’re behind in a hand always starts with knowing your opponents first. For example, say you’re holding A-K and a very tight opponent to the left of you makes a pot-sized raise before the flop. Holding a good hand in A-K you decide to call the bet, and then make a small raise after a flop of Q-J-7 in hopes of knocking people out while going after a straight. The same player to your left then makes a raise that is 4 times the size of the pot.
Seeing as how this person has been playing very conservatively the whole time, you definitely don’t want to be calling this bet. There’s a good chance that you’re already behind in this situation since the player probably has a set of queens or jacks, and calling a bet that size for a straight draw isn’t a good idea – especially if you’re not one of the bigger stacks!
Recognizing situations like this and avoiding the calls that come with them are crucial to staying in tournaments and making money in cash games.
Hi, cool post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for writing.