Knowing When You’re Beat

One of the biggest stereotypes surrounding poker is that bluffing is a common move.  Of course, after signing up for an online account and playing for a while, most new players start to realize that this simply isn’t the case.  Even still, the whole idea that, “He could be bluffing,” sticks with players for months or even years after they’ve been playing.

And the worst feeling in poker is when some jerk chooses to show his 4-5 offsuit hand after bluffing you out of a huge pot.  It’s like somebody pulled one over on you, and there’s no getting them back.  Unfortunately, this also leads to a lot of times when you choose to call players even when all signs point to you being beat.  And let me tell you….this will cost you far more money in the long run than folding to a bluff ever will.

So it’s important to know when you’re beat and fold when this is obviously the case.  In most instances when your opponent is making small bets and raises, they are simply value betting to build the pot.  They are not throwing these bets out there in hopes that you’ll fold thus sending more chips their way.

To set up an example of a hand where you’re beat, let’s say that a tight-aggressive player limps in from early position and you make a $10 raise while holding Q-Q; everybody folds expect for the initial limper who calls.  The flop comes up 5-9-10 rainbow, which prompts your opponent to check.  Thinking they have nothing, you throw out a $15 raise, and you’re countered with a $30 re-raise; you call.  The turn card is a king and your opponent bets $60 – this is where you need to stop and think!

You’ve seen this player to be tight-aggressive the majority of time so they’re not going to start raising big out of nowhere.  Their pre-flop limp indicates that they most likely had 9’s or 10’s and wanted to see the flop for cheap from early position.  Not only did they check-raise you on the flop, but they also raised big on the turn.  You’ve already put enough money into the pot so there’s no reason to call again since you should have folded on the flop.

Sure it’s tempting to call, but the smart move is to fold here and keep your stack.