“Mad Genius” ego damage and the nature of poker
Biographical, Image, Motivation, Psychology
An unpredictable image can make a difference
ALL (newest first), General, Image, Manipulation, POKER, SPOTLIGHT, Strategy
Bad poker science and a disagreement
ALL (newest first), Image, Manipulation, POKER, Psychology, Strategy
Big profit from poker equity
Image, Manipulation, POKER, Strategy
Book (Caro on Gambling) 01. Plodders
Bankroll, Gambling, Image, Motivation
Brunson: Finding the right poker style for you
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: If you play tight, keep it secret
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: Letting opponents tie their own nooses
Entries by others, General, Image, Manipulation, Motivation, Strategy
Brunson: Pride and poverty
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: Proving your poker prowess takes time
Entries by others, Image, Manipulation, Other games
Brunson: When calling doesn’t make sense
Entries by others, Hold 'em, Image
Chip leverage: The poker myth that won’t die
Image, POKER, Strategy, Tournaments
Don’t “go quiet” when you have psychological control
Image, Manipulation, Strategy
Fast 2014-09-14: Belligerent poker opponents
ADDED FAST, ALL (newest first), Image, Manipulation, Psychology
Great mistakes in poker tells
Image, Tells
How I got 8-5 to call on the river in hold ’em
Hold 'em, Image, Manipulation, Psychology
How intimidation works and fails in poker
Image, Manipulation
How to avoid the poker disaster of going quiet
Image, Manipulation, SPOTLIGHT
Letting poker opponents make their own nooses
ALL (newest first), General, Image, Manipulation, POKER, Strategy
Lies told about psychology in poker
Image, Manipulation, SPOTLIGHT, Statistics
1 2 3 6

Everything is everywhere

Any Poker1 page takes you anyplace you want to go!

Poker1 

Megadex

Poker1 universe —
all in one place.

→ Collections
Special Poker1 groups

Poker1 Megadex tools

— main navigation departments —

Collections

Related groups of Poker1 content

↓ Major collections ↓

Gambling  •  Hold 'em  •  Info  •  Life beyond poker

Poker (all)  •  Poker dictionary  •  Poker psychology

Poker statistics  •  Poker strategy  •  Poker tells

Prediction*  •  Shopping  •  Zone 2*

↓ Tip collections ↓

All*  •  Gambling*  •  Life*  •  Poker*  •  Various*

↓ Contributor collections ↓

Brunson  •  Caro  •  McHaffie  •  Wiesenberg  •  Others*

↓ More collections ↓

Poker1 FAQ  •  Poker-tell videos  •  Review of poker lessons

Sunday sessions*  •  Targeted poker quizzes  •  Tuesday sessions

* Any collection followed by an asterisk ( * ) has no entries yet.

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home

Poker1 everything

Browse alphabetically

 

[a-z-listing display=”posts” post-type=”post”]

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home

Poker1 library

Content in categories

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home




≡ Content above: Poker1 Phase2a specification ≡

MCU poker tip: Don’t fold instantly unless you’re sure

Sometimes you can get a tell on an opponent simply by not folding too quickly. I’m not telling you to slow up the game, but occasionally — when you’re in doubt about whether to call — you should conspicuously study your opponent.

Scrutiny

This extra scrutiny will sometimes make a player who’s bluffing uncomfortable enough to give you the clue you’re seeking. You just have to wait a few seconds and observe.

In general, if the player remains relaxed, you should fold, as you originally intended. But if there seems to be growing tension in the opponent and he becomes totally “poker faced” and motionless, even not breathing, you should consider calling.

Fear

Remember, a player who is bluffing will usually do nothing unusual for fear of triggering your call. It’s the absence of animation and the suspenseful tension that let you know that an opponent is more likely than usual to be bluffing. When you’re in doubt and fold too quickly, you often lose the opportunity to capitalize on this powerful tell. — MC

“Mad Genius” ego damage and the nature of poker
Biographical, Image, Motivation, Psychology
An unpredictable image can make a difference
ALL (newest first), General, Image, Manipulation, POKER, SPOTLIGHT, Strategy
Bad poker science and a disagreement
ALL (newest first), Image, Manipulation, POKER, Psychology, Strategy
Big profit from poker equity
Image, Manipulation, POKER, Strategy
Book (Caro on Gambling) 01. Plodders
Bankroll, Gambling, Image, Motivation
Brunson: Finding the right poker style for you
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: If you play tight, keep it secret
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: Letting opponents tie their own nooses
Entries by others, General, Image, Manipulation, Motivation, Strategy
Brunson: Pride and poverty
Entries by others, General, Image
Brunson: Proving your poker prowess takes time
Entries by others, Image, Manipulation, Other games
Brunson: When calling doesn’t make sense
Entries by others, Hold 'em, Image
Chip leverage: The poker myth that won’t die
Image, POKER, Strategy, Tournaments
Don’t “go quiet” when you have psychological control
Image, Manipulation, Strategy
Fast 2014-09-14: Belligerent poker opponents
ADDED FAST, ALL (newest first), Image, Manipulation, Psychology
Great mistakes in poker tells
Image, Tells
How I got 8-5 to call on the river in hold ’em
Hold 'em, Image, Manipulation, Psychology
How intimidation works and fails in poker
Image, Manipulation
How to avoid the poker disaster of going quiet
Image, Manipulation, SPOTLIGHT
Letting poker opponents make their own nooses
ALL (newest first), General, Image, Manipulation, POKER, Strategy
Lies told about psychology in poker
Image, Manipulation, SPOTLIGHT, Statistics
1 2 3 6

Everything is everywhere

Any Poker1 page takes you anyplace you want to go!

Poker1 

Megadex

Poker1 universe —
all in one place.

→ Collections
Special Poker1 groups

Poker1 Megadex tools

— main navigation departments —

Collections

Related groups of Poker1 content

↓ Major collections ↓

Gambling  •  Hold 'em  •  Info  •  Life beyond poker

Poker (all)  •  Poker dictionary  •  Poker psychology

Poker statistics  •  Poker strategy  •  Poker tells

Prediction*  •  Shopping  •  Zone 2*

↓ Tip collections ↓

All*  •  Gambling*  •  Life*  •  Poker*  •  Various*

↓ Contributor collections ↓

Brunson  •  Caro  •  McHaffie  •  Wiesenberg  •  Others*

↓ More collections ↓

Poker1 FAQ  •  Poker-tell videos  •  Review of poker lessons

Sunday sessions*  •  Targeted poker quizzes  •  Tuesday sessions

* Any collection followed by an asterisk ( * ) has no entries yet.

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home

Poker1 everything

Browse alphabetically

 

[a-z-listing display=”posts” post-type=”post”]

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home

Poker1 library

Content in categories

A-to-Z     Library     Collections     Top     Home




≡ Content above: Poker1 Phase2a specification ≡

Published by

Mike Caro

Visit Mike on   → Twitter   ♠ OR ♠    → FaceBook

Known as the “Mad Genius of Poker,” Mike Caro is generally regarded as today's foremost authority on poker strategy, psychology, and statistics. He is the founder of Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy (MCU). See full bio → HERE.

2 thoughts on “MCU poker tip: Don’t fold instantly unless you’re sure”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let's make sure it's really you and not a bot. Please type digits (without spaces) that best match what you see. (Example: 71353)

  1. Question part 1……..would that last tip of priceless wisdom, apply more in tournament poker or cash games
    Question 2……if it does differ between
    the two then what on brief would they be ……
    Thank you for canstantly Improving my game with knowledge and and experience
    Cheers

    1. The concept applies to both tournament and non-tournament poker. However, in tournaments folding can carry more value than it does in regular games, especially if your chip stack is lower than average. This is because in proportional-payout tournaments (1st place, 2nd, 3rd, etc. having diminishing payouts), what’s important is your equity in the prize pool, not the amount of chips you have. The smaller your stack, the more valuable it is relative to its size. Therefore, in many situations, you should fold more readily in a tournament for reasons of survival. But we’re assuming your decision to fold already took all that into consideration. So, at that point, the concept holds. It applies to both poker forms.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let's make sure it's really you and not a bot. Please type digits (without spaces) that best match what you see. (Example: 71353)