Folding after the flop
New players tend to rapidly learn the skills associated with the pre-flop game. This can be summarized in starting hand selection, position awareness, aggression and bet sizing for the most part. These skills can be learned in a few sessions for the players who take the game seriously.
Indeed preflop can be played almost automatically by following a starting hand chart. However, post flop is a totally different story as there is no more easy strategy to follow and the complexity of the game increases.
One leak observed at the low stakes tables is when some players seem to believe that all other players are straighforward TAGs. So when someone bets in front of them, they fold unless they have a monster. In fact you should not fold all weak or semi-strong hands, but call with some hands with good potential.
For instance, let's say that you entered the pot with QJ suited. The flop comes Q-9-4 with only one card suited with your pocket cards. You have top pair, but not such a good kicker, as AQ, KQ and QQ are hands dominating yours. Or worse someone could have pocket fours or nines, giving you 2 outs to win. Fearing such worse case hands could motivate you to fold.
However, what if you looked at the drawing possibilities you have with this hand? A queen gives you trips, a jack gives you 2 pairs, a ten gives you a double ended straight.
A little of player profiling could help too. How tight is the player who made the bet? How often does he raise? Unless he is a rock, calling his raise may have good profit potential if you hit the turn or river.
It is a question of balance. On one hand you do not want to be too straightforward or passive by folding to all raises. But then you do not want either to bleed chips by calling a lot with underdogs.
Use judgment to make this kind of play. Note that this could be particularly useful at the beginning of a game, as going all the way to showdown will teach you more about the playing style of a particular player and do not forget that you can win chips too, versus a certain loss if you fold all the time.
In poker you have to take a few chances in order to be successful. If you do not the other players will think that they can easily frighten you away from your hand by simply making a bet. They will continue to bully you until you play more daringly. You want the other players to keep guessing. Be the aggressor, not the aggressed.
Make yourself respected at the table by showing that you have guts and that you are a force to be reckoned with. Pratice this move of not folding and you might find new ways to win a hand.
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