Laying Down a Sit "n" Go Tournament Poker Hand
Giving up on a hand is one of poker's toughest decisions.
It is very difficult to walk away from hard earned tournament chips, when:
Because, there are times when you must give up, lay down your hand, cut your losses, and survive to fight another round.
The tournament graveyard is littered with the remains of those who were too curious or too stubborn.
Still, the decision is very complex.
If you give up too early or too easily, you may be walking away from a pot that should have been yours.
Not to mention the damage that giving up too easily does to your table image.
On the other hand, if you give up too late, your stack may become even more severely damaged.
It is a danged if you do, and danged if you do not, proposition.
And either way, just the act of giving up will inflict your stack and your self-confidence with a battering.
Here then, are some considerations about laying down a hand.
It is a judgment call: Take your time.
Think through your options and their consequences.
As a general rule, give up early, before your stack is too severely compromised.
There will likely be many more less risky opportunities to accumulate chips.
So, salvage what you can of your stack, and survive for the next hand.
Think on the bright side: There is a bright side.
When you give up in a tough situation, you establish a table image.
To some, you may appear weak.
To others, thoughtfully prudent.
The next time a similar situation occurs, you may have an opportunity to either bluff, or to trap.
Chips saved are the same as chips won: While this saying holds true for all poker games, it is especially meaningful for tournaments.
So, do not risk your very limited sit n go chips just to satisfy your ego, or your curiosity.
Know your opponent: If you do not know your opponent, the decision is easy.
Give up.
You do not have enough experience with this player to make a well informed decision.
Review the action: Study the board, and the betting sequences, to help review the play of the hand.
Sometimes you will just have to give your opponent credit for telling a great story, even if it is a total fabrication.
There is an old saying about discretion being the better part of valor.
And, in warfare there is an even older one, by about 2,500 years, "He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
" (Sun-Tzu, The Art of War.
) Burn these strategic imperatives into your mind.
Because very often, walking away from a fight is the surest path towards tournament survival.
And, needless to say, if you do not survive, you cannot win.
It is very difficult to walk away from hard earned tournament chips, when:
- you know that they will likely be even harder to replace,
- you suspect that you are being bluffed off of your hand,
- your natural curiosity wants to know the truth,
- your pride just cannot stand the humiliation,
- your stubbornness cannot tolerate being pushed around, and
- you will be left with a hazardously short stack.
Because, there are times when you must give up, lay down your hand, cut your losses, and survive to fight another round.
The tournament graveyard is littered with the remains of those who were too curious or too stubborn.
Still, the decision is very complex.
If you give up too early or too easily, you may be walking away from a pot that should have been yours.
Not to mention the damage that giving up too easily does to your table image.
On the other hand, if you give up too late, your stack may become even more severely damaged.
It is a danged if you do, and danged if you do not, proposition.
And either way, just the act of giving up will inflict your stack and your self-confidence with a battering.
Here then, are some considerations about laying down a hand.
It is a judgment call: Take your time.
Think through your options and their consequences.
As a general rule, give up early, before your stack is too severely compromised.
There will likely be many more less risky opportunities to accumulate chips.
So, salvage what you can of your stack, and survive for the next hand.
Think on the bright side: There is a bright side.
When you give up in a tough situation, you establish a table image.
To some, you may appear weak.
To others, thoughtfully prudent.
The next time a similar situation occurs, you may have an opportunity to either bluff, or to trap.
Chips saved are the same as chips won: While this saying holds true for all poker games, it is especially meaningful for tournaments.
So, do not risk your very limited sit n go chips just to satisfy your ego, or your curiosity.
Know your opponent: If you do not know your opponent, the decision is easy.
Give up.
You do not have enough experience with this player to make a well informed decision.
Review the action: Study the board, and the betting sequences, to help review the play of the hand.
Sometimes you will just have to give your opponent credit for telling a great story, even if it is a total fabrication.
There is an old saying about discretion being the better part of valor.
And, in warfare there is an even older one, by about 2,500 years, "He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
" (Sun-Tzu, The Art of War.
) Burn these strategic imperatives into your mind.
Because very often, walking away from a fight is the surest path towards tournament survival.
And, needless to say, if you do not survive, you cannot win.
