Sometimes you have to. Nobody likes doing it and finding out you have laid down a winning hand can be tilt-inducing and send many players into a downward spiral. But, if you are never folding the best hand, it means you are calling too often with hands that are not the best.

We strive for perfection, which is a worthy goal. Making the best decision on every single action every time while taking into account the multitude of factors that can come into play in any poker game is the goal, but we also have to be realistic. If you look back and realize it has been months since you have folded a hand on the river to someone who bluffed you or value bet you thin enough that they were betting with the worst hand, then you either aren’t playing enough or are being a callboy who everyone and their brother knows they can get value out of.

This is coming from someone who calls too much. In my regular games with the same people day in and out, an occasional river call where I shouldn’t is justified by an overall image, but even factoring in that extenuating circumstance, there are still plenty of times when I let a hand go only to find out I had the best hand and could have won the pot.

Luckily for me, that has never been something that sets me off. But, in many players, it can be the spark that lights the powder keg and sends a whole pile of chips spewing around. I saw it happen just the other night in a spot where the other player just made a good bluff. Almost any good player would have folded in that spot, but seeing that he had been bluffed sent what is usually a solid player into a reckless mode of play that disintegrated a decent number of chips in record time.

To be clear, I am not talking about folding a draw on the flop that gets there or folding a pair that goes runner-runner full house. I am talking about either folding on the river or folding the best hand on an earlier street.

You should be calling sometimes with the worst hand and folding winners on occasion. Obviously, in any one situation we can look and say it is a mistake, but over a large enough sample if you aren’t folding some winners here and there, then there is a much larger leak in your game that you need to address.

On some level, we all understand this, but watching the blowup was a good reminder that I need to stay calm and levelheaded and make the best decision with the information that I have. If that leads me to turn over the best hand here and there, then I need to put a mental checkmark in my head when I see those situations come up. Sure, someone got me on that particular hand, but my overall game is pretty healthy and at least every once in a while, I find a way to fold a decent hand on the river.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.

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