On Line Poker Casinos

When to Play or Fold

When to play or fold is always a question on the poker players mind. Should they continue to play the hand or should they fold. Should they fold now and save remaining funds or play and risk losing even more money is always on a players mind. A lot is determined not only by the cards in the players hand but the type of game being played.

If the game is one where a players hand is completely concealed and no cards are shown by other players at the table like Five card stud or Straight poker then the decision is primarily what is being held in the individual players hand, the amount of the bet, and if a bluff is being played.

In other games such as Seven Card Stud all the players will have cards faced up on the table. It is usually not only the cards in ones hand that determines if a player should fold or continue to play but also what cards are shown on the table and bluffs are still involved.

In fact even if the player has a fair to good hand going for them an opposing player could have even a better hand showing or potentially better hand based on the faced up cards. This should also determine if the player should continue to play or to fold.

Talking to most seasoned poker players the potential hands of opponents is actually one of the main deciding factors for their decision combined with the amount of the placed bet. If the bet could mean the elimination of play in a tournament or loss of all their funds then the decision is even tougher to make. Seeing a lot of cards on the table will also help the player to decide what are the chances are of them getting the winning combination they need to come out on top.

So the decision to play or fold is much easier to make if the cards on the table either show that you have a chance to get that top notch winning hand are possible or if the other players have the advantage of either already having a better hand than you or if they potentially have a better hand than you can make.

Always it is ultimately a decision each and every poker player needs to make and usually quite often in a game. One factor that needs to always be considered is, if the hand is one that will only help them to continue to play or will losing this hand mean total elimination and or loss of all funds. If it is a hand that will eliminate a player from a tournament then not only are the face up cards on the table and the cards in the individuals hand a factor but also the amount of the bet is more important.

In tournament play this can sometimes feel like a no win decision to make. You want the chance to continue in a tournament and sometimes it is hard but wiser to fold.