Save Your Bet, Article by Rick Fuller...

I the recent edition of ALL IN there is an article that explains almost everything I have been saying the last few months. Save your Bet: How to increase profits by keeping your game from going to pot odds.... ------"One of the most common mistakes that can cost you a lot of money over the long haul is calling a bet on the river when you know you're beat. It's a huge leak for a lot of players--one I'm familiar with because I'm actively trying to remove it from my own game. ------"Well, I've got pot odds," you say to justify your call. But it doesn't matter. In there situations, pot odds means less than a marriage proposal from Britney Spears. Yet so many of us make the call anyway, thinking we have no choice........ ------There are times when you simply have to ignore pot odds and lay down your hand. This applies to pot-limit and no-limit Hold'em games as well. A favorite ploy of many no-limit tournament pros is to make such a small bet on the river that their opponent feels they simply have to call. If there's $4,000 in the pot and I bet $400, and you know that I will bluff at least on time in ten in this situation, then you have to make the call...right? No! If you know, either through a read or betting patterns in play that you are beat then you do not have to call. Save the chips for use in a better spot..... ------Folding on the river when you know your beat--just a slight tweak to your game--can significantly increase your expected winnings--from 1 big bet per hour to 1 or even 2 big bets per hour." Rick Fuller The entire article can be found on page 22 of the recent ALL IN. The excerpt above could be confusing, so be sure to check out the full article in ALL IN, or read the discussion thread at PokerForums.net here - The Moral of the story is that if you know you arte beaten, FOLD, irrespective of the pot odds.