I sometimes wonder how I can handle various poker situations and maintain my sanity. We all hope to hold big hands such as pocket aces; however, we hate to be put into a situation where the best results of a session are the hands we made good folds on. Unfortunately, I had such a day today as I managed a profit of a whole $1 in a $2-$5 blinds no-limit hold’em game.
 
The first interesting hand was when I was dealt Ac-As in middle position. I made the standard raise, which for this table was $25, and four players called, including both blinds. The flop was Jd-10d-9d. The small blind bet $50, the big blind raised to $120, and I quietly folded. The only question was whether either of the other players had out-flopped me. For the record, neither of them did. However, the big blind had the nut flush and the small blind had a set of nines. Sigh….
 
I was on the button with Qs-Qh and raised to $25 with both blinds calling. The flop was 8s-7c-2d. The blinds checked, I bet $50, and only the small blind called. The turn was the 3a. After the small blind checked, I bet $80. The small blind thought for a moment and check-raised to $175. I folded and he showed pocket sevens.
 
My final interesting hand was when I found 7d-2c in the big blind. Six players limped and the small blind folded. I managed to check my option with the hammer. The flop was delightful looking: 8s-2s-2c. I decided to bet $20, and two middle-position players called. The turn was the 9s. I elected to check and see how my opponents acted. The first player bet $50, and he was re-raised to $150. Before I could fold, the first player moved all-in! The dealer allowed me to fold before accepting the first player’s bet. He was called by the other player. The first player had made the nut flush with As-3s while the second player had flopped a boat with 8h-8d.
 
Our wins while playing poker comprise hands where we do things right that gain us chips, hands where our opponents err and lead to our gaining chips, and hands where we save chips by folding. Over the entire year these all blend together to give us our annual results. The chips we save by making good folds are worth just as much as the chips we earn making good plays.
 
I won $1. Consider what my result would be if I continued with any of the three hands described above. It’s certain that I would have lost a substantial amount. But haven’t we all seen our opponents remain in hands with holdings that can’t possibly be winning?
 
Being stubborn can be a good quality at a poker table. It makes it tougher for opponents to bluff you. However, being too stubborn can lead to a hole in your game or, as I should say, a drain on your wallet. After the flop an unimproved pair of aces is just one pair.
 
In a short-stacked no-limit game it may be right to move all-in with that unimproved hand, but in a deep-stacked game—and all three of these hands occurred in such a game—you need to be careful with one pair hands. Even trips may not be good enough. I was willing to let some good hands go and that allowed me to come back and edge into positive territory. As my mother says, a win is a win is a win.
 
Russell Fox is the co-author of “Mastering No-Limit Hold’em,” “Why You Lose at Poker,” and “Winning Strategies for No-Limit Hold’em.” He’s a federally licensed tax preparer specializing in gambling, with a blog at taxabletalk.com. E-mail Russ at rcfox@claytontax.com