Finding the wrong folds. (1 Viewer)

[vircily]

Always find myself putting other players on the nuts and fold more times than not. This happens even when I usually would have won against a lower pair or would have picked up something along the way that beat something higher than me (2 pairs or trips for example). However, whenever I call in places where it could go either way (where I usually fold) I find myself in some pretty difficult predicaments and find myself losing more than winning. It's gotten to a point where if anyone raises in a spot where I don't have the nuts, it's pretty obvious. Any help?
I play at a .25/.25 home game and it's the same guys every night pretty much, a full table.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

First off, welcome! But this is a loaded question and contains a ton of variables you need to consider before we can begin to answer. The simplest, hand-waving answer is that you're just running bad, bad luck! But let's not stop there because its dismissive and boring and probably wrong.

Let's start with the game: where do you consider yourself skill wise? Middle? Bottom? Smartest guy at the table? Whats average stack size, and do most pots get raised before the flop? Do certain players come off as crushers and win every night? From what you've told us, it sounds like you're playing and being perceived as weak and passive, being pushed off hands that might be the best pretty consistently and overfolding to aggression. That's fine, you're taking steps to get better, you made an account and asked the question. The information you left out tells us more than the information you gave us: whats average stack size, which players are playing more aggressively, what're the pots like, etc.

Once you fold a hand, you're done, you've already made a decision so don't be results-oriented and worry about what would've happened. When others are beating you in these difficult predicaments, what do they show down with? I imagine after they've seen you fold very often that they're betting/raising with weaker hands than they normally would to target you and take it down on later streets.

Are you re-raising them? From what you're telling us, they're putting you in difficult spots by betting and raising and you don't handle them well; at a regular home game you now have a target on you because they know they can bet at you light and get good fold equity, and you'll let them know if you have anything of value. To combat that, first step is to tighten up and play better hands that make better hands on later streets, and play back at them occasionally. If you're passive, they know they can set their own price: they can bet at you and they won't have to put more money in the pot. A good player will play back at them and raise them occasionally without the nuts, making betting out of position against you more intimidating.

What kind of hands are you playing? Are you limping or calling lots of bets preflop then folding on the flop? that's very weak play and leads to you adding a lot of dead money to the pot instead of raising or folding those marginal hands that 1/10 times might hit a winner.

Good job improving your game, we all start somewhere, starts with questioning.

 

[JustinInMN]

@NotRealNameNoSir is giving excellent advice here.

I will add one that's really made a difference to me. Consider ALL of your possible actions every time AND consider ALL of your opponents' possible responses before you decide.

If you check, what are you going to do if villain bets? Does villain usually have it if he bets, or is villain going to bluff sometimes and we should call with our medium strength here? Maybe even low strength?

This next one is the big one and I think speaks to some of the frustration in @vircily 's original post. If you bet, how are you going to feel if you get raised? Are you going to fold since it's not the nuts? (In which case, reconsider a check planning to call line, about the same amount of money goes in, but at least you get a showdown.) Are you planning to play for stacks because you have the nuts or close to it? Are you willing to call a raise because you hand is strong enough that it can beat hands your opponent would raise?

If you bet, can a villain call with something weaker? (What puts the "value" in "value bet.") If not, there is probably more value in checking.

These concepts apply to directly to river play, but also become considerations earlier in hands as well. The difference being these decisions early in hands additionally have to weigh the possible outcomes of the cards yet to come in addition to strength factors.

I think a lot of players, even good ones struggle in particular with betting just because they feel the hand is strong without thinking about what an opponents raise would mean. Learning this skill will make a big difference, as well as keeping consideration of all opponent responses before deciding on an action.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Am I the only one that read title in an inappropriate manner?

 

[LeLe]

That’s a saying if you not getting bad beat, you folding too much.

It okay to hero call once in awhile, it part and parcel of poker.

Always think back the line, what the action preflop, flop and turn, some river bet check raise is just too suspicious.

Don’t click auto fold too much for live poker, you do those for online poker